Nielsen Holdings has announced a definitive agreement to acquire digital media verification company DoubleVerify in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $2.15 billion. The acquisition is aimed at strengthening Nielsen’s digital measurement capabilities and expanding its end-to-end media intelligence offering for advertisers, agencies and publishers.
Under the agreement, DoubleVerify shareholders will receive $13.60 per share in cash, representing a 30% premium over the company’s 60-day volume-weighted average share price as of August 5, 2026. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to shareholder approval, regulatory clearances and customary closing conditions.
Following the acquisition, the combined business is projected to generate more than $4 billion in annual revenue while serving companies representing over $300 billion in advertising spend.
Commenting on the deal, Karthik Rao, CEO of Nielsen, said the acquisition marks another step in the company’s transformation into a comprehensive media intelligence platform. He noted that integrating Nielsen’s audience measurement capabilities with DoubleVerify’s expertise in media verification will help advertisers ensure campaigns reach real audiences in brand-safe environments across every screen and channel.
Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify, said becoming part of Nielsen will provide greater resources to accelerate innovation and deliver enhanced solutions for customers. He added that combining DoubleVerify’s media quality signals with Nielsen’s cross-screen audience measurement could create a unified industry standard for evaluating both audience delivery and media quality.
Once the transaction is completed, DoubleVerify will operate as a privately held company within Nielsen while continuing to retain its existing brand identity.
