Nielsen to acquire DoubleVerify in US$2.15b deal

Nielsen is acquiring media measurement and verification company DoubleVerify in an all-cash deal valued at approximately US$2.15 billion, the companies announced. The acquisition combines Nielsen's audience measurement and cross-platform analytics capabilities with DoubleVerify's expertise in media quality, brand suitability, viewability and invalid traffic detection. According to the companies, the move is designed to simplify media measurement by giving advertisers access to a single platform spanning campaign planning, audience measurement, verification and outcome attribution. Nielsen said the combined business will offer independent measurement and optimisation across linear television, connected TV, social media, mobile and emerging AI-powered advertising environments. The company said DoubleVerify's existing verification capabilities, including fraud detection, viewability measurement and brand suitability tools, will continue to operate as independent standards relied upon by advertisers globally. Nielsen said combining its measurement capabilities with DoubleVerify's verification infrastructure will help advertisers adopt AI-driven workflows with greater confidence. DoubleVerify CEO Mark Zagorski said the announcement is an exciting milestone for the company. He said that as a private entity with the support of Nielsen, DoubleVerify will have access to expanded resources to deliver new, market-leading solutions. DoubleVerify board chairperson R. Davis Noell said the acquisition brings together complementary strengths in media measurement and verification.