VNU this morning agreed to be acquired by a group of private equity firms in a deal valued at about $9 billion, slightly more than the consortium's previous offer, and may lead to the breakup of VNU, writes MediaPost. However, in a statement the equity firms said they may keep together VNU's assets, which include Nielsen, AdWeek, Billboard and the Hollywood Reporter.
VNU also reported strong yearend 2005 results, especially for its Media Measurement & Information group, composed primarily of Nielsen Media Research; that group's organic revenues increased 11 percent to $1.153 billion, and organic EBITDA jumped 19 percent to $322.8 million.
VNU's overall organic revenues rose 5 percent, pulled down by its Marketing Information (ACNielsen) group (up 4 percent) and Business Information (trade magazines) group (up 2 percent).
