M & A
In 2001, ACNielsen itself was acquired by VNU, as part of VNU's Marketing Information group, and thus is now under the same corporate umbrella as the company it spawned, NMR. Nielsen Media Research is based in New York City, while ACNielsen headquarters remain in Schaumburg, Illinois.
ACNielsen is also sister company to Nielsen//NetRatings, which measures Internet and digital media audiences, and Nielsen BuzzMetrics, which measures Consumer-Generated Media.
IMS Health and ACNielsen ORG-MARG entered into a joint venture on 1 January 2004, aligning their health care information business operations in India, bringing together the two organizations’ global expertise and strong local presence to deliver a broader array of actionable, strategic solutions to the pharmaceutical market.
In 2005, ACNielsen initiated their MVP (Media Voice Panel) program. Panel members carry an electronic monitor that detects the digital station and program identification codes hidden within the TV and radio broadcasts they are exposed to. At night, members place the monitor in a cradle that sends the collected data through the home's electrical wiring to a relay device that transmits it by phone, making it one of the first practical uses of electrical wiring as a home network. With an approximately one week notice to members, the MVP program ended on March 17, 2008.
In 2007, the owner VNU changed its name to "The Nielsen Company".
Arthur Charles Nielsen, Jr. (born April 8, 1919) the man who acquired the company from his father, died at the age of 92 on October 3, 2011.
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