Nielsen Ship Steadied with 1.7% Revenue Rise

Nielsen Holdings has announced 2019 revenues of $6.498bn, equivalent to a 1.7% rise at constant currency, although a fall of 0.3% as reported. Q4 revenues were $1.69bn, up 2.0% on a reported basis and 2.7% in constant currency terms.

In November, Nielsen announced it had completed its strategic review, initiated after hedge fund Elliott Management Corp's 2018 bought an 8.4% stake in Nielsen Holdings, with the aim of putting pressure on the Nielsen Board to sell the company. As a result of the assessment, the firm split into two independent publicly traded companies: Nielsen Global Media and Nielsen Global Connect.

For the fourth quarter, Global Media revenues rose 2.3% to $899m, with Audience Measurement revenue up 0.8%. At Global Connect, revenue increased 1.6% to $802m. CEO David Kenny (pictured) says of the results: 'In 2020, our top priority is to execute on our strategic growth plans for Nielsen Global Media and Nielsen Global Connect. We believe that each business is well-positioned for success as a standalone company and remain confident that this separation is the best path forward to enhance strategic focus, growth and long-term shareholder value'.

Overall for the group, Q4 net loss was $109m, compared to a net loss of $952m a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA was $492m, improving 0.8% from Q4 2018. Nielsen's sales, general and administrative expenses were $499m, down 1.6%; operating income was $224m against an operating loss of $1.2 billion a year earlier.

Kenny (pictured) added: '2019 was a year of tremendous change and progress at Nielsen and I'm extremely proud of the way our teams executed. We delivered solid results and achieved or beat the goals we set out for 2019. Our results reflect increased financial discipline and operational progress as we focused on building a strong foundation for the future'.

Web site: www.nielsen.com .