Comscore Posts Strong Stock Market Gains, Re-Signs Nexstar

• by Wayne Friedman , January 10, 2019

With recent positive industry renewals, and some negative news around its main competitor Nielsen, Comscore has seen its stock steadily rise since the first of the year -- up 15%.

On Thursday, Comscore stock closed up 4% to $16.60 on the news of a renewal deal with Nexstar Media Group. The company’s stock is 30% higher since December 20.

Re-signing Nexstar, one of the largest U.S. TV station groups, includes digital media data and a new Comscore cross-platform service -- digital and traditional local media data.

Nexstar is the first TV station group to sign on for the Comscore product.

The deal covers all Nexstar markets, including the stations recently acquired from Media General. 

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Other major TV station groups that are Comscore clients include Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media. Nexstar Media Group made an agreement in December to buy Tribune for $4.1 billion.

Recent Comscore deals have included E.W. Scripps stations and Gray Television, for which Comscore will be the exclusive local media measurement company in 80 of its 91 markets.

All this comes after some high-profile news concerning rival Nielsen, which is at an impasse in a renewal deal with CBS -- for its national TV networks and local TV stations -- a deal worth $100 million a year, according to industry executives.

Although Comscore has seen strong news over the last several days, it continues to rectify some past accounting issues that hit the company last year. Its stock is down 42% over the last 52 weeks.