Nielsen to outsource IT in $1.2bn deal

Media and information company Nielsen is to spend $1.2bn over 10 years outsourcing a chunk of its IT to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

The companies have reached an agreement in principle and said they are in negotiations on a definitive agreement, which is expected to be signed in "the near future".

Under the proposed 10-year deal, TCS will take responsibility for IT and "operational processes" and help Nielsen integrate and centralise multiple systems. TCS will also assume responsibility for some finance and HR processes, which will be run on new business process outsourcing (BPO) platforms built by TCS.

Nielsen provides TV and internet audience measurement and analysis of consumer behaviour for the packaged goods and retail industries, as well as business publications and trade shows.

Mitchell Habib, executive VP in charge of Nielsen Global Business Services, said the deal will help the company "streamline and simplify" its IT infrastructure.

The BPO deal will help Nielsen consolidate its processes and systems into a single platform, which it said will provide real-time access to organisation performance and reporting. It covers financial services in such processes as accounts receivable and payable, billing, credit and collections, general accounting, and HR processes including workforce administration, global reporting and payroll services.

As part of the agreement, TCS said it will take direct responsibility for a Nielsen team based in Baroda, Gujarat in India.