Audience measurement giant Nielsen will acquire digital media monitorning company DoubleVerify’s in an all-cash $2.15 billion deal in an effort to enhance its digital data-gathering efforts.
The agreement means DoubleVerify shareholders will receive $13.60 per share in cash, a 30% premium on its trading price as of Wednesday. It’ll help Nielsen add a layer of independent verification that the impressions on certain content or ads are receiving are real — a key measurement point that has raised frustrations across the industry.
The transaction has been approved by both companies’ board of directors and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to DoubleVerify shareholder approval and other regulatory and customary closing conditions.
“Over the last few years, Nielsen has undergone a fundamental transformation — accelerating product innovation; expanding our platform across the full media lifecycle, from discovery and planning through measurement and outcomes; and strengthening our financial foundation,” Nielsen CEO Kathik Rao said in a statement. “The result is a stronger, more agile Nielsen that has earned its place as a leading media intelligence platform for the modern advertising ecosystem.”
“This combination will unite two organizations focused on strengthening independence and trust in advertising. Joining forces with DoubleVerify will extend our capabilities deeper into the digital media industry, ensuring that the spend flowing between buyers and sellers is reaching real people in brand-suitable environments, through verified channels. As advertising workflows become increasingly automated, together we can offer publishers, advertisers, agencies, and platforms a truly independent, end-to-end partner that connects trusted audience intelligence with verified media delivery — across every screen, every channel, and every transaction – enabling superior decisions and outcomes.”
“Today’s announcement is an exciting milestone for DoubleVerify. As a private entity with the support of Nielsen, we will have access to expanded resources to deliver new, market-leading solutions that drive exceptional value for our customers and partners,” DoubleVerify CEO Mark Zagorski said in a statement DoubleVerify’s MRC-accredited quality signals, in combination with Nielsen’s deduplicated cross-screen audience measurement, will fuel genuine market innovation – a single currency that scores media on both audience delivery and media environment quality. I’m proud of the strong momentum we’ve built for DoubleVerify as the leading media effectiveness platform, the strength of our AI-powered measurement and optimization platform, and the exceptional work of our team.”
“”DoubleVerify has established itself as the global benchmark in digital media quality and effectiveness. Over its growth trajectory, DoubleVerify expanded its AI-powered platform, deepened customer relationships, and scaled into a true category leader. Bringing these assets together creates a significant win for both companies’ customers and partners. We’re excited for Mark and the DoubleVerify leadership team as they continue that journey with Nielsen.”
Funds affiliated with Providence Equity Partners LLC, which owns approximately 11.8% of DoubleVerify’s outstanding shares of common stock as of Wednesday, have agreed to vote their shares in favor of the transaction. As part of the transaction, Providence will conclude its investment upon close.
