Karthik Rao, a longtime product executive at Nielsen, has taken over as the new CEO, the TV measurement company announced earlier this month. A 23-year veteran of nearly every aspect of the company business, Rao has been at Nielsen for over two decades, mostly in product leadership roles, the company said in its announcement earlier this month. He was promoted to CEO of its audience measurement business at the end of last year as part of a larger reorganization. He replaces David Kenny, who is moving to an executive chairman role, the company announcement said.
According to the New York Post, “Rao’s rise to power at Nielsen came amid upheaval at the company in November 2019 when it split into two publicly-traded entities — one handling consumer research, and the other focusing on TV ratings.”
He was chief product and technology officer at Nielsen and was promoted to the lofty role of COO of the newly formed media company, now dubbed Nielsen Global Media. As CEO of Nielsen’s Audience Measurement business, Rao was “responsible for driving and evolving its audience measurement in the midst of unprecedented disruption and transition,” the company said. “His primary focus has been on enabling a currency across all media distribution and consumption models globally,” the announcement added. In a statement, he said, “Nielsen has been my home for most of my career, and I could not be more excited for this new opportunity.”
Axios noted that “the move comes amid broader controversies plaguing the longtime leader in TV ratings.” Nielsen was “taken private in 2022 by a buyout group led by Elliott Investment Management affiliate Evergreen Coast Capital and Brookfield Business Partners.” A week before Rao’s Sept. 14 appointment, “the company laid off 9% of its staff, roughly 1,000 employees, which followed another round of layoffs earlier this year. The company has faced a lot of pressure from measurement…
Read the full article here