TNS creates new integrated advertising, media and digital intelligence unit called TNS Media

TNS, the global market information and insight provider, today announced that it has created a new entity called TNS media. The move combines the North American operating units TNS media intelligence and TNS media research along with newly-acquired companies Compete and Cymfony under one business unit. Building on the company’s leadership position in providing clients with a comprehensive suite of marketing, media and audience insights, TNS media will strengthen the company’s ability to provide global measurement and analysis of consumer behavior across all media and digital platforms.

“With the formation of TNS media and our acquisitions of Compete and Cymfony, this new group is set to expand our digital measurement capabilities and provide a single platform to deliver our services globally throughout the TNS network of companies and partners,” said David Lowden, chief executive of TNS.

Concurrently, TNS announced Dean DeBiase has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of TNS media, overseeing all North American operating units, including:

- TNS Media Intelligence, the leading provider of strategic advertising and marketing information, provides tracking technologies to collect advertising expenditure, occurrence and creative data, and marketing analytics platforms.

- TNS Media Research, a worldwide provider of Internet, TV, set-top box and radio audience measurement leveraging the latest technology in digital audience monitoring.

- Cymfony, a brand monitoring and analyticscompany sifts and interprets the millions of voices at the intersection of traditional and social media to gain insights that help organizations understand people, issues and trends impacting their business.

- Compete, a leading digital intelligence company which helps global brands to improve their marketing based on the online behavior of millions of consumers.

TNS media will provide marketers, facing an increasingly complex media landscape, with an integrated view of their marketing mix by deploying the latest digital measurement solutions. According to the TNS media intelligence 2008 advertising forecast, spending on Internet advertising is expected to climb 14.4 percent in 2008, more than double the increase in cable television (5.0 percent) and dwarfing the growth of network television (2.7 percent). At the same time, social media is growing in scale and impact. A recent Cymfony study revealed nearly half of senior marketing executives believe social media should be monitored at the executive level and allocated significant resources.

“TNS brings together the best people, services, technology, and insights from Silicon Valley to Madison Avenue, to provide marketers, agencies and media partners the next generation of tools and insights they need to innovate and compete in their industry sectors, as well as target and connect with consumers,” added Dean DeBiase, newly appointed CEO of TNS media. “We will continue to develop our platform of traditional and online advertising, audience, performance and engagement data services, that global brand companies rely on, through our expanding network of partners and new companies.”