Nielsen Holdings to complete Harris Interactive merger

NEW YORK — Nielsen Holdings on Monday announced that it has completed the tender offer by Nielsen and its wholly owned subsidiary, Prime Acquisition Corp., to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of Harris Interactive, a global market research firm. Nielsen expects to complete the acquisition of Harris through a merger under Delaware law. Upon the completion of the merger, Harris Interactive will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Nielsen and its shares will cease to be traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market.

Harris Interactive will be integrated into Nielsen’s Buy business segment, which provides information and insights to manufacturers and retailers that helps them make more informed and impactful business decisions.  Nielsen will retain the Harris Poll brand.

“Harris Interactive is a natural fit with Nielsen’s portfolio of solutions, as the organization shares Nielsen’s commitment to deliver robust and integrated insights to clients to drive business outcomes,” stated John Lewis, president - Americas for Nielsen. “This acquisition enables deeper insights into consumer sentiment, as well as what consumers are watching and buying, while also expanding our footprint with important industry verticals, including pharmaceutical, automotive and financial services.”