Nielsen Completes IAG Research Buy

$225 Million Purchase Will Bolster TV, Internet Analytics

By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 5/16/2008 10:34:00 AM

Nielsen completed it $225 million acquisition of IAG Research, a privately held company that measures consumer engagement with TV programs, national commercials and product placements, officials said Friday. 

The transaction, announced in April, expands Nielsen’s ability to provide clients with more in-depth television and Internet analytics services.

IAG Research will be rebranded as Nielsen IAG.  Alan Gould and Ken Orkin, co-founders and co-CEOs of IAG Research, will continue to lead the service as co-CEO’s of Nielsen IAG, reporting to Nielsen executive vice president Susan Whiting.

Nielsen IAG conducts research with viewers to measure the effectiveness of advertising and program engagement across television and the Internet. Its clients include major advertisers, advertising agencies, Internet providers, telecommunications services, television and cable networks and other content providers.

“Nielsen IAG already provides unique insight into how viewers are interacting with television and commercial content,” Nielsen chairman David Calhoun said in a prepared statement. “As the service is integrated into The Nielsen Co., it will be able to draw on an unparalleled reservoir of data and information to deliver a greater perspective on the relationship between consumers and media.”