Dive Brief:

• Nielsen announced Wednesday that it has acquired data and technology company eXelate.
• eXelate, which helps digital advertisers better target online advertising, will help Nielsen move into online programmatic advertising, or where ads are purchased automatically on digital exchanges.
• eXelate's expertise will allow Nielsen to combine its current data tracking TV viewership with the tech company's information about online habits.

Dive Insight: 

The acquisition by Nielsen further underscores the ever-increasing crossover between TV and online. When people watch both the TV and their tablet screen, information that can connect the two is golden. The combination of data sources will help Nielsen offer information to target ads in a way it wasn't able to before—and help it continue to thrive in a world where TV's standing is dwindling.