WPP to acquire minority stake in web analytics major.
US-based web analytics company comScore and WPP’s data investment management division Kantar have entered into an alliance covering markets outside the US. The two companies will bring their products, technology, data assets, research panels and relationships together, enhancing cross-media audience and campaign measurement capabilities, informed an official statement.
The alliance follows an announcement that WPP would acquire stake in comScore. Through transactions expected to close in Q2 2015, WPP is expected to pick up 15 to 20 per cent stake.
In some European markets, comScore will also acquire assets of Kantar’s internet audience measurement businesses.
Serge Matta, CEO, comScore, said, “This long-term, strategic alliance will simplify the deployment of global measurement capabilities and accelerate the creation of new services for the industry. The emerging mediascape points to a massive global opportunity waiting to be unlocked by cracking the code on cross-media audience and campaign measurement. We look forward to working together with Kantar to deliver new measurement products based on our complementary offerings in these markets.”
Eric Salama, CEO, Kantar, said, “By partnering with comScore and combining our respective strengths, we will integrate data and expertise to give our clients a new standard in measuring audiences and campaigns across multiple platforms. This continues our strategy of combining survey, panel and census data and putting digital at the heart of all we do.”