Dive Brief:

• Kantar Group is selling its Kantar Media unit to private-equity firm H.I.G. Capital for approximately $1 billion, according to a press release. The deal, subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to be completed later this year. 
• The acquisition comes as Kantar Media, which operates in over 60 markets, wants to play a larger role in reshaping the measurement ecosystem through capabilities in areas including audience measurement, data and analytics and media planning and validation.
• Kantar Media chief Patrick Béhar, who joined the group last year from Sky, will keep his current role under H.I.G.’s ownership. Consolidation and dealmaking continue to trend upward in a marketing industry that is increasingly focused on performance.  

Dive Insight:

Kantar Group began preparing Kantar Media for operational independence two years ago, with the H.I.G. deal positioned as helping to accelerate the unit’s transformation plan and geographic leadership status. Kantar Media is trying to keep pace with a fast-evolving measurement landscape where cross-channel solutions are in higher demand as well as the advent of newer technologies, such as generative artificial intelligence. 

“With H.I.G.’s expertise in scaling businesses and driving performance, we are more confident than ever in our ability to deliver innovative, data-driven solutions that meet the evolving needs of our growing client base all over the globe,” said Béhar in a statement.

Kantar Media’s services span data connectivity and data science, audience measurement, cross-platform and cross-media measurement and TV and audience ratings, along with research offerings in areas like sports. TV and streaming measurement have been subject to particularly high levels of disruption as competitors vie to unseat Nielsen’s category dominance. 

In addition, Kantar Media has played an active role in the development of Aquila, a cross-media measurement solution from the Association of National Advertisers, an influential trade organization representing top brand marketers. Kantar Media is involved in building a single-source cross-media calibration audience panel in the U.S. for Aquila, which was announced last year as an effort to bridge linear and non-linear advertising measurement. 

Marketing M&A activity could further increase in what’s expected to be a light-touch regulatory environment, at least in the U.S. Omnicom Group last month acquired Interpublic Group of Companies for $13 billion, a deal set to reshape the agency sector. Consolidation has already taken hold elsewhere: Publicis Groupe earlier this month announced plans for an internal combination of creative agencies Publicis Worldwide and Leo Burnett to form a new brand called Leo.

Bain bought a controlling stake in Kantar in 2019 for $3.1 billion while WPP retains 40% ownership of the business. Kantar previously sold its ad-intelligence unit Vivvix to MediaRadar in 2023. Other companies in H.I.G.’s portfolio include AdTheorent and Adscape Media.