Combined Nielsen / Arbitron May Have to License Tech

Nielsen is said to be in negotiations with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding its acquisition of ratings giant Arbitron, with talks centering around a concession involving the combined company licensing measurement technology to rival comScore and other parties.

The proposed $1.26bn acquisition, which was announced at the end of last year, is currently being investigated by the FTC, which is concerned that the if the deal goes ahead, the new combined entity would control 80% of TV ratings and 90% of radio measurement. Nielsen recently agreed another extension of the regulatory review into September.

According to reports in the press, two sources 'with knowledge of the talks' claim that Nielsen's negotiations with the FTC involve the possibility of the merged firm licensing technology to digital measurement specialist comScore, as well as to researchers, TV networks, and other parties. comScore and Arbitron are currently working alongside sports entertainment company ESPN, to develop the 'first' cross-platform media measurement solution to provide common metrics on changing media consumption across radio TV, PCs, smartphones, and tablets.

Nielsen has not commented on these allegations, but is continuing to state publicly that it is confident of the outcome of the FTC's investigation.

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