Nielsen Completes $2.7 Billion Sale of Global Connect Business

Nielsen's logo
(Image credit: Nielsen)

Nielsen said it completed the $2.7 billion sale of its troublesome Global Connect Business.

The unit was acquired by Advent International in partnership with Jim Peck and is now known as Nielsen IQ.

Nielsen has been selling off pieces of the company to improve its balance sheet and focus on audience measurement. 

Earlier this week Nielsen announced a deal with Roku, selling its automatic content recognition and dynamic ad insertion technology, while getting access to streaming data and wider adoption of Nielsen products via Roku’s ad sales platform.

This is a transformative time for Nielsen. We have redesigned our products, our business platform, and our operating model, positioning Nielsen to better deliver the solutions our clients need in the rapidly changing global media ecosystem,” said Nielsen CEO David Kenny.

“We are now fully aligned around three essential solutions--Audience Measurement, Audience Outcomes and Gracenote Content Services--that are designed to drive growth by leveraging a single media platform across a global digital-first footprint," Kenny said. 

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.