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WPP and IBOPE Swap Assets
Marcoms giant WPP has sold Mediafax - its Puerto Rico-based media research agency - to Brazilian media, market and opinion research specialist IBOPE. In return, WPP has increased its shareholding in three IBOPE businesses.
IBOPE (The Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics) was founded in 1942. Headquartered in both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the firm has offices in Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife and Salvador, and works across 14 Latin American countries.
Mediafax, which is best known for its peoplemeter TV audience measurement service, became part of WPP's KMR (Kantar Media Research) North America unit in 2007.
WPP already holds a 42.15% stake in IBOPE, and has raised this by a further 2.05% in IBOPE Pesquisa de Mídia, IBOPE Latinoamericana and IMI.Com, which are part of the IBOPE Group.
Last November, Nielsen transferred its 11% stake in the three IBOPE units as part of a regulatory asset swapping agreement which the European Commission demanded of WPP as part of its acquisition of TNS.
This sale did not affect IBOPE and Nielsen's IBOPE//NetRatings joint venture, which measures Internet user behavior and media operations in Mexico, Ecuador and Venezuela.
The IBOPE businesses form part of Kantar, WPP's information, insight and consultancy division, and WPP says today's agreement continues its strategy of developing its networks in fast growing markets and sectors.
Web sites: www.wpp.com , www.kantargroup.com and www.ibope.com.br .
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