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Exclusive: MediaRadar acquires Kantar Group's Vivvix

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Nov 2, 2023
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

MediaRadar has acquired Vivvix, Kantar Group's North American advertising intelligence business, executives tell Axios.

Why it matters: The deal expands MediaRadar's scope of ad channels, which is crucial as marketers want to better understand the entirety of the fragmented sector.

Catch up quick: Founded in 2007, MediaRadar is an ad intelligence and sales enablement platform with about 20,000 users. The New York-based company tracks more than $200 billion in annual media spend across TV, magazines, newspapers, websites, mobile and events.

  • Private equity firm Thompson Street Capital Partners acquired a controlling stake in MediaRadar in 2022. Endicott Capital also invested. Frontier Growth is a minority shareholder.
  • Kantar launched Vivvix in 2023, combining its ad intelligence unit with its data insights platform Numerator. It appointed Andrew Feigenson, head of ad intelligence, as CEO. Vivvix tracks more than $250 billion in annual media spend.

Details: MediaRadar CEO Todd Krizelman tells Axios that he had wanted to work with Kantar for a while. A mutual friend introduced Krizelman to Feigenson in 2021, shortly after the executive started at Kantar.

  • The deal is MediaRadar's first acquisition. It bolsters its client roster, especially with brands and ad agencies, and adds ad intelligence of more media formats such as radio, search, local TV and out-of-home ads.
  • All of Vivvix's about 1,000 employees have joined MediaRadar's team of about 500. The companies will operate under their individual brands at first, with plans to operate as one in the future. Feigenson will step down as CEO of Vivvix and serve as an adviser to MediaRadar.
  • Financial terms were not disclosed.
  • Simpson Thacher & Bartlett served as legal adviser and Solomon Partners as financial adviser to MediaRadar. Weil, Gotshal & Manges served as legal adviser and Barclays as financial adviser to Kantar.

What's next: Krizelman says MediaRadar plans to further invest in its tech capabilities, including AI, and is open to more acquisitions.

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