New York and Columbia, MD - Dec 18, 2012 - Nielsen Holdings has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Arbitron. The transaction has been approved by the boards of both companies and is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory review.

"U.S. consumers spend almost two hours a day with radio. It is and will continue to be a vibrant and important advertising medium," said Nielsen Chief Executive Officer David Calhoun. "Arbitron will help Nielsen better solve for unmeasured areas of media consumption, including streaming audio and out-of-home. The high level of engagement with radio and TV among rapidly growing multicultural audiences makes this central to Nielsen's priorities."

With Arbitron assets, Nielsen intends to further expand its Watch segment's audience measurement across screens and forms of listening. "These integrated, innovative capabilities will enable broader measurement of consumer media behavior in more markets around the world," said Steve Hasker, Nielsen president of global media products and advertiser solutions.