• October 3, 2005

VNU, the parent of Nielsen Media Research, ACNielsen, and trade magazines such as Adweek, Billboard, and The Hollywood Reporter, may put some assets on the block to help persuade some influential shareholders to approve its pricey acquisition of IMS Health, according to published reports. Two big shareholders, fund managers Fidelity and Knight Vinke Asset Management, have said they would vote against VNU's proposed $6.6 billion merger with IMS Health, a leading provider of market data for the healthcare industry. VNU management has been keen on the deal, which would complete the transformation of VNU from a Dutch-based publisher of magazines and trade publications to the world's leading provider of marketing and media market data. The acquisition of IMS Health, ironically, would effectively recreate the corporate holding structure of Dun & Bradstreet Corp. nearly a decade ago--which owned similar pieces including IMS, Nielsen Media Research, and ACNielsen--before splitting them up. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, VNU is trying to sway key shareholders with plans that might include the sale of some big, non-strategic assets, as well as a stock buy-back program designed to boost the overall value of VNU's stock. --Joe Mandese