Nielsen to Buy Tribune's Media Data Business For $560 million

Advertising tracking company Nielsen Holdings Plc said it would buy Tribune Media Co's media data unit, Gracenote, for $560 million.

Emeryville, California-based Gracenote is a large provider of television "metadata," data that helps TV viewers figure out what programs they are watching when they use digital TV guides at home.

Gracenote, which began operations as a CD metadata provider nearly 20 years ago, also provides data to mobile devices that can identify which movies, TV shows or music are being played.

Some of Gracenote's customers include Apple Inc, Tesla Motors Inc, Time Warner Cable and Amazon.com Inc.

The sale comes about 10 months after Tribune Media, one of the largest U.S. TV station operators, said it had hired investment banks Moelis & Co and Guggenheim Securities to explore strategic options for the business.

Tribune acquired Gracenote from Sony Corp for $170 million in 2014.Also read: Reliance Jio Impact: Airtel Launches Free Voice Calls And Data Packs

Nielsen, known for its television ratings that are used to determine ad rates for traditional TV commercials, said Gracenote will be incorporated into its Watch division, which measures what consumers are watching.

The deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, will be financed through a combination of cash and debt, Nielsen said.

Nielsen said it expects the acquisition to be neutral to 2017 GAAP earnings and slightly accretive in 2018.

PJT Partners advised Nielsen on the deal and Baker & McKenzie acted as legal advisers. Debevoise & Plimpton was Tribune's legal adviser.

Tribune also said it would pay a special dividend of about $500 million to its shareholders in the first quarter of 2017.Also read: TRAI Recommends Providing 100 MB Free Data Every Month to Rural Users