comScore and Rentrack are merging in a stock-for-stock deal that will create a formidable rival to media measurement company Nielsen.

September 30, 2015

3 Min Read

RESTON, Va. and PORTLAND, Ore., -- comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) and Rentrak Corporation (NASDAQ: RENT) today announced that the companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which the companies will combine in a stock-for-stock merger.

Pursuant to the terms of the merger, which has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, Rentrak will merge into a wholly-owned subsidiary of comScore, and each share of Rentrak will be converted into the right to receive 1.15 shares of comScore. Upon completion of the merger, comScore shareholders are expected to own approximately 66.5% and Rentrak shareholders are expected to own approximately 33.5% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis.

Combined Company Management Team and Governance

comScore's current Chief Executive Officer, Serge Matta, will lead the combined company as CEO. Dr. Magid Abraham will remain as the Executive Chairman of the Board. Bill Livek, Rentrak's current Vice Chairman & CEO, will serve as the company's Executive Vice Chairman & President. Mel Wesley will continue as the Chief Financial Officer, and David Chemerow, Rentrak's current COO & CFO, will serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO, focused on the successful integration of the two companies. The new company will also draw upon the collective talent at both companies to harness the experience and expertise of each organization to redefine the future of measurement. The combined company's board will consist of twelve directors – eight from comScore and four from Rentrak.

Strategic Rationale

By combining comScore and Rentrak's products, talent and significant information assets, the new company will provide even more robust measurement solutions to the media and advertising industries, following the consumer whenever and wherever content is consumed.

The combination will enable the company to introduce a more comprehensive and precise set of solutions for measuring media consumption and advertising across platforms, setting the standard for the next generation of cross-platform measurement solutions. Together, comScore's industry-leading digital audience and advertising solutions, combined with Rentrak's census-based worldwide movie and video-on-demand measurement, and its massive and passive TV measurement offerings, will provide a more complete picture of the way people consume media today and in the future. The combined organization is expected to possess a unique breadth of knowledge, experience, expertise, and skill sets that cannot be duplicated, dramatically enhancing the range of capabilities and offerings for clients and the industry.

Financial considerations

comScore expects the transaction to be mildly dilutive to its Non-GAAP EPS in 2016, and accretive in 2017. The combined company is expected to have total synergies of at least $20 million in 2016 and at least $35 million in 2017. The company also anticipates a significant portion of the synergies to be revenue related which it expects to grow over time with an attractive contribution margin.

Approvals and Time to Close

The transaction is subject to shareholder approval of both companies, along with customary regulatory closing conditions, and is expected to be completed by early 2016.

comScore Inc. and Rentrak Corp. (Nasdaq: RENT)

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