Nielsen to Acquire DoubleVerify In $2.15 Billion Deal.

Nielsen is making one of its biggest moves into digital advertising, announcing an agreement to acquire media verification and measurement company DoubleVerify in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $2.15 billion.

Under the terms of the deal, DoubleVerify shareholders will receive $13.60 per share in cash, a 30% premium to the company's 60-day volume-weighted average share price as of Aug. 5. The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of 2027, pending shareholder and regulatory approvals.

The acquisition broadens Nielsen's traditional audience measurement business by adding DoubleVerify's technology for verifying media quality, viewability, brand safety and invalid traffic detection. Together, the companies say they will offer advertisers, agencies, publishers and media platforms a single source for audience measurement, campaign verification and performance analytics across television, streaming, digital, social, mobile, audio and AI-powered advertising.

Nielsen said the combined company is expected to generate more than $4 billion in annual revenue on a pro forma basis while serving clients responsible for more than $300 billion in advertising spending.

"Over the last few years, Nielsen has undergone a fundamental transformation," CEO Karthik Rao said in announcing the deal. "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."

DoubleVerify CEO Mark Zagorski said becoming part of Nielsen will provide additional resources to accelerate product development while maintaining the company's focus on independent media verification.

The companies said the merger is intended to create an end-to-end media intelligence platform that combines Nielsen's cross-platform audience measurement with DoubleVerify's media quality and campaign verification capabilities. They also said the combined business will continue supporting independent industry standards for viewability, brand suitability and invalid traffic detection while helping advertisers adopt AI-driven planning and buying tools.

Following the transaction, DoubleVerify will become a privately held company operating under the DoubleVerify brand. Financing for the acquisition will come from a combination of debt, new equity and Nielsen cash on hand.