The world’s largest market research company, ACNielsen Corporation, has acquired Media Monitoring Services (MMS), a provider advertising measurement services in the UK, for an undisclosed sum.
MMS, a privately held company, offers comprehensive coverage of the UK’s advertising industry. It tracks advertising activity, spending and creative content across the print, television, radio, direct mail, cinema and outdoor channels for media companies, agencies and advertisers. Its UK business, along with smaller operations in Australia and Asia, generated revenues last year of $10 million (£6.3 million).
ACNielsen’s vice chairman, Michael Connors said: “Our purchase of Media Monitoring Services significantly strengthens our advertising expenditure measurement business in the UK, one of the most strategically important advertising markets in the world.”
“We are very pleased to be joining the ACNielsen family. The combination of MMS and ACNielsen Media International provides clients with the best of both worlds – unmatched local media coverage and the broadest international reach in the industry,” added Charles Fulton, managing director of MMS, who will head the integrated ACNielsen MMS operation.
Separately, ACNielsen also launched eRatings.com in the UK this week. A joint venture with US audience tracking group, NetRatings, it has been developed to measure the worldwide web and provide international standards for media buyers, site publishers, advertisers and marketers. Its site can be found at www.nielsen-netratings.com.
ACNielsen also runs a television audience measurement service in Ireland and is currently bidding for the new Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) contract which begins in January 2002 (see BARB Puts Audience Measurement Contract Out To Tender).
Media Monitoring Services: 01344 627 553 ACNielsen: 01865 742742
