• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, September 20, 2023

Shares of Ascential plc were trading slightly up this morning, following news that it is weighing its strategic options, including a potential sale to private equity bidders.

The movement follows a plan late last year to split the company up, selling some assets and spinning off its commerce operations as a U.S. publicly traded company that might also include Hudson MX, the Ascential-backed agency media-buying tech startup that it has an option to take control of.

This morning, Bloomberg reported that Ascential failed to attract a winning bid for the sale of its WSGN consumer trends forecasting unit, and that it is in the process of considering alternatives to its break-up plan, including the sale of the entire company.

Ascential, which is best known in the ad industry as the owner and operator of the Cannes Lions festival, would have either kept it as part of the London-based U.K. company, or potentially even sold it off, under the previous plan, according to people familiar with it.