Well-known and well-regarded media analyst Brian Wieser is returning to his advertising roots as global president, business intelligence at ad powerhouse WPP’s Group M media buying unit.

Wieser, who spent the past eight years as senior analyst covering media and advertising companies for Pivotal Research Group, has a long history in the advertising business. Prior to Pivotal, he was EVP, global director of forecasting for Interpublic’s Magna Global and CMO for Simulmedia. He has also served as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers and research analyst at Deutsche Bank, covering entertainment and cable.

In his new role, which begins next week, he will report to Group M Global CEO Kelly Clark and will collaborate with GroupM’s agencies and WPP’s broader network to gather, analyze and distribute marketplace intelligence and give clients insights on markets, audiences, partners and platforms, and supply and demand dynamics.

“We are thrilled to welcome Brian to our team,” Clark said in a press release. “He has deep understanding of economic and industry dynamics, consumer behaviors, media partners, and technology platforms. He is uniquely suited to create insightful analysis that will help our clients make marketing investment decisions.”

“There is no better opportunity to help shape the future of marketing and advertising than this role with GroupM and WPP,” Wieser said in a press release. “The entire advertising industry is dealing with the consequences of technology-driven disruption, and every day the rules for how brands go to market are being rewritten. For nearly eight years at Pivotal, I’ve been connecting with every corner of the market to evaluate how the major players are leading - or reacting - to this change. I’m excited to use this experience and insight at GroupM and WPP to help clients grow.” 

Rentrak shares reached their all-time high Thursday after the company announced deals to buy its Kantar Media’s  U.S. TV measurement assets for $98 million in stock and an agreement with top tier media buyer Group M which will use its set-top box data for planning and buying ads.

Rentrak shares traded as high as $75.39 each early Thursday, up 17% ($10.88 each), before slipping slightly to finish the day at $72.07 each, up 12% or $7.56 per share. The stock beat its old high-water mark of $69 per share, soundly.

Rentrak’s gains came as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged more than 300 points on Thursday.

In contrast, shares of TV measurement leader Nielsen dipped about 4% ($1.72 per share) on Oct. 9.

The Kantar Media deal, valued at about $98 million in Rentrak stock (12.4% of outstanding shares), will give the Portland, Ore.-based company a stronger presence in local and national TV measurement. In addition, Kantar and Group M parent WPP said it will purchase about $56 million worth of Rentrak shares, upping its stake to 16.7%. The media giant has agreed not to raise its interest in the company above 20%.

With Group M, Rentrak gains a client that makes about $105 billion in ad billings globally and one that shapes the relationship between TV networks and advertisers – it led the push for C-plus-3 ratings in 2007, now the industry standard.

In a research note to clients, Wunderlich Securities media analyst Matt Harrigan called the WPP deals “pivotal,” adding that with the ability to raise its interest in Rentrak as high as 20%, WPP is the “default likely winner in any eventual full acquisition of Rentrak. It also positions Rentrak as the only massive and passive (census) based provider in the U.S. market.”