Nielsen completes acquisition of sports measurement firm Repucom

Nielsen has announced that it has completed its acquisition of Repucom, a global leader in sports measurement, evaluation and intelligence. The acquisition will expand Nielsen’s sports offerings globally, making the company the premier provider of analytics and insights within the growing sports industry. As per a release put up on the Nielsen website, the global spend on sports sponsorships has nearly doubled since 2010, increasing from $35 billion to $60 billion. Nielsen’s acquisition of Repucom includes all operations, data, advanced analytic IP and tools, and ongoing client work.

The release quoted Howard Appelbaum, President, Nielsen Entertainment, as stating, “Sports is a galvanising force that unites consumers, brands and advertisers, and the sports marketing economy continues to grow each year. Our acquisition of Repucom creates tremendous momentum for Nielsen. This combination of data and measurement capabilities strengthens our clients’ position in the market, increases campaign effectiveness and connects their brands with passionate sports fans.”

As a result of the acquisition, Nielsen clients will be able to use Repucom’s industry leading methodologies, including its QI Media Value, which measures the quality of brand exposure based upon a proprietary method that considers size, duration, location and number of concurrent brands seen. Repucom’s brand exposure data and metrics are considered currency in the global sports marketplace. Coupling sponsorship data with Nielsen’s buyer intent and purchase data provides clients with uniquely powerful solutions to help them make smarter business decisions.

Paul Smith, Founder of Repucom, said, “This acquisition represents the validation of Repucom’s business model and is an important turning point for the entire sports marketing economy. Nielsen is making a significant investment in its global sports offering, as this acquisition marks an expansion into China, Mexico and Russia. Businesses that operate in sports today have a much more sophisticated view on data. Decisions that were previously made based on emotional connections are now centered on insights and grounded in robust data. This acquisition is a testament to Repucom associates for building this world class brand and technology portfolio and to Nielsen for recognising global sports marketing as an industry that is perfectly positioned for our combined measurement and performance improvement capabilities.”

Nielsen connects its sports clients with talent analytics, advertising measurement, television and audio ratings, digital ratings, and more using its best-in-class data capabilities.