Press release from Nielsen Book

I am excited to share with you the news that we have signed a definitive agreement to acquire two businesses from Bowker. We will be acquiring the Bowker Business Intelligence and Commerce Solutions products consisting of PubTrack Higher Education, PubTrack Digital, PubTrack Christian, Books and Consumer Surveys, the BML-branded custom research and related products, PubNet, PubEasy and the PacStream re-seller partnership with B2Be in Australia.

Our services are truly complementary. Nielsen has a leading market position in book commerce solutions in the UK; Bowker has a similar position in North America. In the U.S., Nielsen has great coverage of print book sales; Bowker has great coverage of eBook sales. Nielsen has a strong presence in trade sales measurement; Bowker is strong in measuring educational book sales. And while Nielsen is a leader in sales tracking, Bowker has a leading position in consumer book purchasing analysis.

We are really looking forward to welcoming our new Bowker colleagues into Nielsen. Our shared vision is to provide you with the measurement, tools, insights and linked commerce solutions that exceed your current and future expectations.

We will put together a team made of up new colleagues from the Bowker businesses and existing Nielsen colleagues to consult with you, review, develop and where appropriate integrate these complementary services to add value for you. We will keep you informed of our progress and you can expect further announcements over the next few months.

I hope you agree with me that bringing together these two great sets of assets will help drive efficiencies while also helping you chart the right course in this rapidly evolving and changing book industry.

Your client service contacts will be in touch, but if you have any questions in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Yours sincerely,

Jonathan Nowell

President, Nielsen Book

Nielsen