Arbitron Buy: Nielsen Agrees to Another Extension

Nielsen has once agreed to extend the period for regulatory review of the Arbitron transaction, into September - but continues to stress that it is 'confident in the ultimate outcome'.

Less than three weeks ago, the New York Post suggested that Nielsen was 'running into rising regulatory static' over the proposed $1.26bn acquisition, which was announced at the end of last year. By the time it was approved by shareholders in April, consideration of the deal by the FTC had already been extended on two occasions.

Arbitron has had its own problems over the deal, settling in July with an investor who sued over what it claimed were obstacles to other bidders and a higher price, and who also asked for more transparency.

Web sites: www.nielsen.com and www.arbitron.com .