WPP Group says it has received U.S. antirust approval for its proposed acquisition of U.K. marketing and media researcher Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS). On April 9, WPP made a formal offer to acquire
TNS, nipping a previously planned merger between TNS and Germany's GfK in the bud. GfK may still come back with a counter offer. Interestingly, WPP, which is the second largest marketing and media
research organization in the world, is in a join venture with the world's largest, the Nielsen Co., which has been facing a potential competitive threat from TNS.
