Published on: August 7, 2026
New York, NY – August 6, 2026 – Nielsen Holdings (“Nielsen”), a global leader in audience measurement, data, and media intelligence, and DoubleVerify (NYSE: DV), the leading software platform to verify media quality, optimize ad performance, and prove campaign outcomes, today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Nielsen will acquire DoubleVerify in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise value of approximately $2.15 billion.
Under the terms of the agreement, DoubleVerify shareholders will receive $13.60 per share in cash. This represents a 30% premium to DoubleVerify’s 60-trading day volume weighted average price as of August 5, 2026.
Karthik Rao, Chief Executive Officer of Nielsen, said: “Over the last few years, Nielsen has undergone a fundamental transformation — accelerating product innovation; expanding our platform across the full media lifecycle, from discovery and planning through measurement and outcomes; and strengthening our financial foundation. The result is a stronger, more agile Nielsen that has earned its place as a leading media intelligence platform for the modern advertising ecosystem.”
This combination will unite two organizations focused on strengthening independence and trust in advertising. Joining forces with DoubleVerify will extend our capabilities deeper into the digital media industry, ensuring that the spend flowing between buyers and sellers is reaching real people in brand-suitable environments, through verified channels. As advertising workflows become increasingly automated, together we can offer publishers, advertisers, agencies, and platforms a truly independent, end-to-end partner that connects trusted audience intelligence with verified media delivery — across every screen, every channel, and every transaction – enabling superior decisions and outcomes.”
Mark Zagorski, Chief Executive Officer of DoubleVerify, added: “Today’s announcement is an exciting milestone for DoubleVerify. As a private entity with the support of Nielsen, we will have access to expanded resources to deliver new, market-leading solutions that drive exceptional value for our customers and partners. DoubleVerify’s MRC-accredited quality signals, in combination with Nielsen’s deduplicated cross-screen audience measurement, will fuel genuine market innovation – a single currency that scores media on both audience delivery and media environment quality. I’m proud of the strong momentum we’ve built for DoubleVerify as the leading media effectiveness platform, the strength of our AI-powered measurement and optimization platform, and the exceptional work of our team.
R. Davis Noell, Chairperson of the Board of DoubleVerify, said: “DoubleVerify has established itself as the global benchmark in digital media quality and effectiveness. Over its growth trajectory, DoubleVerify expanded its AI-powered platform, deepened customer relationships, and scaled into a true category leader. Bringing these assets together creates a significant win for both companies’ customers and partners. We’re excited for Mark and the DoubleVerify leadership team as they continue that journey with Nielsen.”
Read more: DoubleVerify Sees Growing AI Momentum in India as Advertisers Accelerate Adoption of DV Scibids AI™
