Lastly, leading global provider of data measurement and analytics to the media industry, Nielsen Holdings PLC (NLSN, Financial) underperformed in the period amidst severalnegative headlines. Most notably, the Media Ratings Council (MRC) suspended the company’s national ratings accreditation until the company can fully rebuild its ratings panel, which was negatively impacted by pandemic-related restrictions. Not only do we believe this to be a severe overreaction, but it is also backward looking – Nielsen should be reaccredited within months, quarterly results continue to improve as the economy recovers and the company’s next generation measurement product, Nielsen ONE, remains on track to begin rolling out next year. Longer term, as fragmentation across the media industry continues to increase, we believe NLSN’s independent audience measurement of what people are watching across various platforms will be more important than ever.
From John Rogers (Trades, Portfolio)' Ariel Fund third-quarter 2021 commentary.
