Weeks after settling a threat from one potential competitor, Nielsen Co. has announced plans to acquire another, IAG Research, for $225 million. IAG, a privately held company that has built a successful business around measuring consumer engagement with television programs, national commercials and product placements, claimed unaudited revenues of more than $35 million for 2007, and said it has a "positive operating income." Its clients include American Express, Toyota, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Chrysler LLC, Procter & Gamble, Verizon, Sprint, Warner Brothers, VISA, Merck & Co., Paramount Pictures and major networks, such as ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, …

In an attempt to speed up the auditing process, an Audit Bureau of Circulations committee is presenting proposed changes to the publisher's statement that could make slogging through pink sheets quicker and more painless for media buyers. The publisher's statement could be cut down from four pages to two. Members of the Magazine Directors' Advisory Committee describe the move as one that will take out sections of little use to buyers, including the removal of state-by-state breakdowns of magazine sales from twice-annual pink sheets in favor of data on the top 10 markets. One other recommendation would have …

Absolut vodka is apologizing for a new ad campaign that depicts much of the Southwest as part of Mexico. The effort, which features ideal scenarios under its "In an Absolut World" tag, has an 1830s-era map when Mexico still included California, Texas and other large chunks of the U.S. Some Mexicans still resent losing that territory in the Mexican-American War -- not to mention the subsequent independence of Texas. The ads, which ran only in Mexico, also came as the U.S. tries to tighten border security, and as emotions run high in the debate over cross-border migration. Calls …

Joanne Davis Consulting will handle an assessment of Cadbury Adams USA's media agencies -- in conjunction with affiliate Jane Twyon -- as the confectionery giant ponders options for its $100 million North American account. Currently, Cadbury has three media shops on its roster, including WPP's Mediaedge:cia on traditional media in the U.S.; Interpublic's M2 Universal in Toronto for Canada; and MEC Interaction in New York, which handles online. Cadbury's parent is spinning off its U.S. beverage business, which includes Dr Pepper, 7Up and Snapple in a process that should be complete next month.

The Federal Communication Commission's Enforcement Bureau has kicked back Fox Television Network's petition asking it to drop a $91,000 "indecency" fine against the show "Married by America," apparently because the petition was over the maximum page length. Fox acknowledges it ran long but wants a waiver; however, its request was late in coming. According to the FCC, "petitioners neither complied with this rule nor sought a waiver of this rule. Moreover, they offer no explanation whatsoever for their failure to comply with this rule."

A lack of funding for consumer education is dogging the transition to all-digital TV, according to at least one U.S. lawmaker, even though Uncle Sam will spend $5 million to spread the word that about 70 million analog TV sets will cease to function next year unless they are connected to converter boxes or hooked up to cable or satellite service. By way of comparison, the U.K., with one-fifth of our population, has allocated $600 million toward consumer education during its recently switch to DTV, says U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.). There is also a $1.5 billion voucher program …

Canadian broadcasters are about to square off with the country's cable and satellite TV operators over a possible change that might pave the way for the entry of U.S. cable nets like HBO and ESPN to break through to the Great White North. The showdown arrives as the Canadian Radio, Television and Telecommunications Commission -- the top TV regulator -- starts three weeks of public hearings next Tuesday. Some U.S. channels that target narrow market segments are already carried by cable operators here, but rules have denied access to those market deemed competitive with existing Canadian TV …

The battle for the Democratic presidential nomination between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, fought out in free-spending ad campaigns, speeches and debates, is now spilling over into the gay press. Both contenders are buying space in gay and lesbian newspapers. According to an Obama rep, he became the first presidential candidate ever to buy a campaign ad in a local gay paper (in Texas) to solicit LGBT support. Now that Pennsylvania is up for grabs, Clinton seems ready to make similar buys. "We've been told by the campaign that (Obama) is going to buy -- but we haven't …