Nielsen Announces New $500 Million Share Repurchase Authorization

Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE:NLSN) today announced that its Board of Directors approved a new $500 million share repurchase authorization for the company’s common stock, reinforcing the company’s commitment to enhancing shareholder value.

“Since 2013, Nielsen has returned over $2 billion to shareholders through the payment of quarterly dividends and share repurchases, along with investing in critical growth initiatives across Watch and Buy. This is a testament to our balanced approach to capital allocation as well as the consistency of our business model and strong cash flow generation, all of which position us well to continue to create meaningful shareholder value in both the short and long term,” commented Mitch Barns, Chief Executive Officer of Nielsen.

This authorization is expected to be largely executed by the end of 2017 and is in addition to approximately $350 million that is expected to be available for repurchase as of December 31, 2015 under an existing authorization. Repurchases will be made in accordance with applicable securities laws from time to time in the open market or otherwise depending on Nielsen management’s evaluation of market conditions and other factors.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release includes information that could constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as ‘will’, ‘expect’, ‘anticipates’, ‘should’, ‘could’, ‘shall’ and similar expressions. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results and events could differ materially from what presently is expected. Factors leading thereto may include without limitations general economic conditions, conditions in the markets Nielsen is engaged in, behavior of customers, suppliers and competitors, technological developments, the integration of Arbitron, as well as legal and regulatory rules affecting Nielsen’s business and specific risk factors discussed in other releases and public filings made by the Company (including the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission). This list of factors is not intended to be exhaustive. Such forward-looking statements only speak as of the date of this press release, and we assume no obligation to update any written or oral forward-looking statement made by us or on our behalf as a result of new information, future events, or other factors.

About Nielsen

Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE:NLSN) is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers Watch and Buy. Nielsen’s Watch segment provides media and advertising clients with Total Audience measurement services across all devices where content — video, audio and text — is consumed. The Buy segment offers consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers the industry’s only global view of retail performance measurement. By integrating information from its Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen provides its clients with both world-class measurement as well as analytics that help improve performance. Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries that cover more than 90 percent of the world’s population. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

From time to time, Nielsen may use its website and social media outlets as channels of distribution of material company information. Financial and other material information regarding the company is routinely posted and accessible on our website at http://www.nielsen.com/investors and our Twitter account at http://twitter.com/Nielsen.

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