Arbitron Shareholders Give Thumbs-Up to Deal

The proposed acquisition of Arbitron by Nielsen came a step closer to reality on Tuesday with an almost unanimous vote by Arbitron shareholders to approve the deal, according to a story at mediapost.com.

The Nielsen takeover, which would effectively merge the two largest U.S. media measurement companies, was approved by 98.99% of shares voting at a special meeting on Tuesday, according to Arbitron, representing 77.11% of all Arbitron shares.

Shareholders accepted a takeover offer from Nielsen that prices Arbitron at $48 per share, a 2.7% premium over the current price of $46.74, and a 26% premium over the price of around $38 before the deal was announced in December. Under the terms of the deal, Nielsen will pay cash to acquire all outstanding shares of Arbitron.

The deal still has a couple more regulatory hurdles to overcome, including expiration of the Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust waiting period.

Read More Now