Acquisition To Accelerate Mobile Measurement Globally 

Mumbai – March 11, 2016 – Nielsen has announced that it has completed its acquisition of Informate Mobile Intelligence, a leading provider of mobile usage measurement across key markets.

Nielsen and Informate Mobile Intelligence have been working together for nearly half a decade to leverage innovative smartphone metering technology to provide insights into evolving consumption patterns of mobile device users. During this time, the alliance was able to expand its client base across multiple sectors including media, telecom, ecommerce and fast moving consumer goods.

As the world leader in providing insights to understand consumer behaviour and Total Audience measurement, the acquisition of Informate Mobile Intelligence will help Nielsen enhance its measurement portfolio in the mobile space in key markets across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Africa. The acquisition’s primary objective is to enable Nielsen’s Total Audience measurement strategy in developing as well as international markets – measuring audiences where, when and how they consume content.

“Around the world, we are increasingly seeing the need from media owners to better understand audiences across screens to drive programming and monetization decisions. Likewise, brand advertisers and their agencies are demanding transparency around who saw their advertising, to drive efficiencies in media planning and buying. This acquisition allows us to combine assets from both Nielsen and Informate to respond more timely to industry trends across international markets, said Erica Boyd, Nielsen’s International Digital and Total Audience Leader.

The measurement solution that Informate Mobile Intelligence adopts, allows for the capture of accurate, in-depth usage data on mobile screens including tablets and smartphones for both iOS and Android through opt-in smartphone panels. Informate’s proprietary app acts as an on-device meter that helps us understand how consumers engage with their mobile device and the diverse content that’s consumed by different sets of demographics.

“The acquisition reinforces Nielsen's commitment to Total Audience especially in developing markets which are by nature, mobile-first. This will allow for tighter integration between Informate’s usage data and Nielsen’s comprehensive understanding of the consumer, to better aid advertisers, agencies and publishers,” said Prashant Singh, Managing Director, Nielsen India Region. “This would also help Nielsen empower its clients to make better and faster marketing and media decisions in the mobile media measurement space.”

With smartphone adoption growing, Informate’s knowledge and assets in the mobile space play a key role in enabling Nielsen to get to Total Audience internationally. Kedar Sohoni, President and Founder of Informate said, “Given this surge of smart devices and apps in the market along with the increasing appetite for digital content, we are excited to combine Informate’s measurement technology with Nielsen’s rich understanding of consumers, to provide clients around the world with an unparalleled view of our evolving digital landscape.”

 With the addition of Informate’s solutions to Nielsen’s portfolio, the company will now be able to provide a full suite of solutions in the mobile space. The integration will enable Nielsen to calibrate and sharpen the profile of mobile audiences – a critical component for estimating the total smartphone viewing audience in any market. This spells good news for clients operating in this domain as it would go a long way in enabling them to measure and fine-tune the reach of their smartphone consumers.  

ABOUT NIELSEN

Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers Watch and Buy. Nielsen’s Watch segment provides media and advertising clients with Total Audience measurement services across all devices where content — video, audio and text — is consumed. The Buy segment offers consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers the industry’s only global view of retail performance measurement. By integrating information from its Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen provides its clients with both world-class measurement as well as analytics that help improve performance.  Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries that cover more than 90 percent of the world’s population. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.