Advised AC Nielsen on its Acquisition of AdIntel (Ebiquity Plc)

In November 2018, the UK Competition & Markets Authority ("CMA") cleared the £26 million acquisition by AC Nielsen of the advertising intelligence division (AdIntel) of Ebiquity plc, after a Phase II investigation. Both companies gather, collate and analyze information on the advertising activity of companies across the UK and overseas and sell these Adintel products to UK and international customers.

We advised AC Nielsen on the competitive effects of the acquisition. Amongst other things, we analyzed the characteristics of the advertising market to define the relevant market, and the competitive pressure AC Nielsen and AdIntel imposed on each other by means of a customer overlap and switching analysis. In its decision, the CMA found that the parties were not close competitors and took into account the changing advertising market and increasing pressure from online advertising.

The Compass Lexecon team was headed by Kirsten Edwards-Warren.