Kantar: Private equity groups circle media research firm

Private equity firms are circling the TV ratings data business Kantar Media in a move which could pave the way for a multibillion-pound sale of the wider Kantar Group, according to reports.

Cinven, which owns names including footwear brand Kurt Geiger, and London-based Triton Partners are among the parties to have made bids for Kantar Media, The Sunday Times reported.

A potential deal could be worth around £1bn and is expected to lay the groundwork for a larger sale of the market research group, the paper reported.

None of the firms responded to requests for comment by City AM.

Kantar Media conducts analyses of media across print, radio, TV, internet, cinemas and more. It manages the UK’s TV audience measurement system, known as Barb, to give ratings data to the industry.

It employs around 4,000 people and sits within a group that measures companies’ market shares and consultants on branding.

Kantar is jointly owned by FTSE 100 advertising behemoth WPP and private equity firm Bain Capital. The latter is reportedly driving the sale process.

Originally WPP’s market research division, the firm sold a 60 per cent stake in Kantar to Bain in 2019 that valued the business at £3.2bn.

Kantar now employs around 25,000 staff globally and is run by Chris Jansen, the brother of former BT chief executive Philip Jansen.

Kantar Media’s CEO is Patrick Behar, who joined last year after serving as chief business officer for the UK and Europe at Sky.

It produces TV ratings data for 62 countries. In the UK, Kantar Media signed a contract with Barb (Broadcasters Audience Research Board) in 2021 that runs until 2029.