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Nielsen to Acquire Remaining Interest in BuzzMetrics; Will Merge Internet/Online Operations to Create 'Fully Integrated Suite of Services'

    NEW YORK and HAARLEM, the Netherlands, April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The
 Nielsen Company, a leading global information and media company, and
 BuzzMetrics, the global leader in tracking and analysis of online consumer-
 generated media, today announced that Nielsen and the other stockholders of
 BuzzMetrics have agreed in principle to a transaction under which Nielsen,
 which already owns approximately 58 percent of BuzzMetrics, would acquire
 the remaining BuzzMetrics shares it does not currently own.
     Financial terms were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to be
 completed by the end of May 2007. Nielsen has been involved with
 BuzzMetrics since January 2005, and took a majority position in February
 2006.
     Earlier this year, Nielsen announced it had entered into a merger
 agreement with NetRatings, Inc. (Nasdaq:   NTRT) under which Nielsen, which
 already owns approximately 60 percent of NetRatings, would acquire the
 NetRatings shares it does not currently own. That transaction, subject to
 NetRatings stockholder approval, is expected to be completed in the second
 or third quarter of this year.
     Upon completion of the BuzzMetrics and NetRatings transactions,
 Nielsen's premiere Internet information services -- which are marketed as
 Nielsen//NetRatings and Nielsen BuzzMetrics -- will be consolidated into a
 single service unit. The new service will be led by Itzhak Fisher,
 Executive Chairman of BuzzMetrics. As Executive Chairman of the new
 service, Mr. Fisher will continue to report to David Calhoun, Chairman and
 CEO of The Nielsen Company.
     "NetRatings and BuzzMetrics are recognized as the two leading providers
 of insight about consumer behavior online," said David Calhoun, Chairman
 and CEO of The Nielsen Company.
     "By acquiring 100 percent of these world-class brands, Nielsen can
 provide our clients with unrivaled understanding of consumer behavior in
 this space," added Calhoun. "More broadly, we can provide our clients with
 even more insightful information when Internet/Online consumer usage is
 combined with what products and services consumers buy (ACNielsen), what
 consumers watch on television (Nielsen Media Research), and what books,
 films, audio and video usages consumers interact with across multiple
 platforms. Providing a fully integrated suite of services will enable
 Nielsen to provide clients with unprecedented insights they need to grow
 their businesses."
     About The Nielsen Company
     The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with
 leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information
 (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business
 publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and
 the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company has
 more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries, with
 headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more
 information, please visit http://www.nielsen.com.
     About NetRatings
     NetRatings, Inc. (Nasdaq:   NTRT) delivers leading Internet media and
 market research solutions, marketed globally under the Nielsen//NetRatings
 brand. With high quality, technology-driven products and services,
 Nielsen//NetRatings is the global standard for Internet audience
 measurement and premier source for online advertising intelligence,
 enabling clients to make informed business decisions regarding their
 Internet and digital strategies. The Nielsen//NetRatings portfolio includes
 panel-based and site- centric Internet audience measurement services,
 online advertising intelligence, user lifestyle and demographic data,
 e-commerce and transaction metrics, and custom data, research and analysis.
 For more information, please visit http://www.nielsen-netratings.com.
     About Nielsen BuzzMetrics
     The Nielsen BuzzMetrics service, marketed by BuzzMetrics, Inc., is the
 global standard in measuring consumer-generated media and word of mouth.
 Nielsen BuzzMetrics helps more than 100 leading global companies interpret
 and leverage the buzz surrounding clients such as Canon, Comcast, Ford,
 General Motors, HBO, Kraft, Microsoft, Nokia, P&G, Sony, Target and Toyota,
 as well as the top 15 pharmaceutical concerns. Other clients include the
 world's largest marketing-services firms, and innovative new-marketing
 agencies. The company has also collaborated with distinguished research
 organizations such as the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
 BuzzMetrics, Inc. is a subsidiary of The Nielsen Company, owner of such
 renowned research names as ACNielsen and Nielsen Media Research. For more
 information, visit http://www.nielsenbuzzmetrics.com.
     Forward-looking Statements
     This communication contains "forward-looking statements" which
 represent the current expectations and beliefs of management of Nielsen
 concerning the proposed acquisition of BuzzMetrics and other future events
 and their potential effects on Nielsen and BuzzMetrics. The statements,
 analyses, and other information contained herein relating to the proposed
 acquisition, as well as other statements including words such as
 "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "will,"
 "should," "may," and other similar expressions, are "forward-looking
 statements" under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
 These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and
 are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
 results to differ materially from those anticipated. Those factors include,
 without limitation: (1) whether a definitive stock purchase agreement is
 signed by Nielsen and the other stockholders of BuzzMetrics; (2) the
 satisfaction of the other conditions specified in the purchase agreement;
 (3) the ability to successfully combine the businesses of Nielsen and
 BuzzMetrics and BuzzMetrics and Nielsen NetRatings; (4) operating costs and
 business disruption following the acquisition, including adverse effects on
 relationships with employees; (5) changes in the stock market and interest
 rate environment that affect revenues; (6) diversion of management time on
 acquisition related issues; (7) control and retention of key employees upon
 announcement of the proposed acquisition and following closing; (8) general
 economic conditions such as inflation; and (9) general political and social
 conditions such as war, political unrest and terrorism.
 
 

SOURCE The Nielsen Company