Nielsen prices initial public offering at $23 per share

Shares are due to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NLSN from today. Proceeds from the IPO will be used to pay down some of the company’s $8bn in debt.

Almost 71.5m shares are being sold, equivalent to 20% of the company. Of the proceeds, $103m has been earmarked as advisory fees for the consortium of private equity companies – including Alpinvest, Blackstone, Carlyle, Hellman & Friedman, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Thomas H Lee – which bought Nielsen (then known as VNU) for around $10bn in 2006.

Nielsen is selling $250m in bonds alongside the IPO.