The two firms said that their aim is to drive greater effectiveness and efficiency in television advertising through research.

As part of the agreement, Magnaglobal’s director of global forecasting Brian Wieser (pictured) joins Simulmedia as chief marketing officer, where he will lead the joint effort. Before joining the agency in 2003, Wieser was at Deutsche Bank where he worked in the cable and satellite equity research team. Before that he was part of the communications and media group at Lehman Brothers.

Magnaglobal president Elizabeth Herbst-Brady said: “Our organisation is built on best-in-class tools and research, client-centric trading, and partnership. We are, of course, very sad to see Brian go but are excited by the prospects of continuing to work with him and Simulmedia and the results that our partnership will produce for our clients.”

Jon Werther, Simulmedia’s president, added: “Brian brings a proven track record in generating actionable insights that successfully inform marketing client and agency media strategies, as well as a deep understanding of the media industry.”