Publishing industry News - Nielsen To Buy Two R. R. Bowker Book Tracking Services

Nielsen To Buy Two R. R. Bowker Book Tracking Services

In a move that enhances its global print and e-book sales tracking and analysis capabilities, Nielsen, the media and information measuring service, is acquiring book data vendor R. R. Bowker’s Business Intelligence and Commerce Solutions product units. The deal will close in a month, and gives Nielsen the ability to measure e-book sales in the U.S. and U.K., while also tracking book volume and sales trends using a variety of demographic criteria.

The two services will be integrated into the Neilsen book tracking platform—which includes the BookData, BookNet, Registration Agencies and BookScan services—and will also allow Neielsen to offer retailers a service that can source and order books throughout the English-language book market. R. R. Bowker will continue to work with publishers in the critical role of building technology tools for book discovery through such services as its role managing ISBN identifiers and its Syndetic and Summon services.

Kurt Sanford, CEO of ProQuest, the parent company of R.R. Bowker, said the combining of Nielsen and Bowker services will provide a “streamlined” workflow for their clients. “Book publsihers will receive the critical data they require to navigate the transition to digital-first publishing, through one tool set from one source, significantly simplifying the collection of business intelligence.”

The newly acquired Business Intelligence products include PubTrack Digital, PubTrack Christian, PubTrack Higher-Ed, Bowker Market Research Books & Consumers, Global Ebook Monitor, and custom research. Commerce Solutions products include PubEasy, Pubnet, and PacStream.

Citing the deal for its ability to “provide our clients with the measurement tools, insights and linked commerce solutions needed to exceed their current and future expectations,” Jonathan Nowell, President, Books, Nielsen, added that, “We are committed to elevating the global book industry’s understanding of print and digital book measurement and discovery within an evolving media landscape.”