Bain Capital-backed Kantar Group, a London-based market research firm, has agreed to sell its media measurement and analytics unit, Kantar Media, to HIG Capital for around $1 billion—the deal comes as private equity deals in Europe’s media services space are on the rise.
Bain Capital picked up a 60% stake in Kantar Group from WWP—a British communications, advertising and PR company—at a $3.1 billion valuation in 2019.
Last year saw the number of PE deals involving companies in Europe’s media and information services sector reach a peak, with €41.1 billion (around $42.8 billion) invested across 846 deals. Total investment meanwhile rose to record levels in 2022, with deal value totaling €49.2 billion.
A notable example of this rise in investment is ECI Partners’ acquisition of the London-based digital marketing agency, Croud, for £180 million (around $221.4 million) in October 2024. The deal highlights private equity’s focus on capitalizing on growth opportunities in the digital marketing sector, as businesses increasingly demand advanced tools to compete in a dynamic marketplace.
Similarly, BlackRock‘s 2024 acquisition of the alternative asset data platform, Preqin, for £2.6 billion reflects the growing PE interest in media and information services, driven by the need for robust data solutions in an evolving investment landscape.
Kantar Media operates in over 60 markets, specializing in cross-platform audience measurement, TV advertising, content ratings and audience profiling.
CEO Patrick Béhar, who joined in 2023 from Sky, will remain at the helm.
Featured image by Nikada/Getty Images
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