Nielsen eyes services for retail, gaming, creator biz

INDIA STANDS AT THE HEART OF NIELSEN'S STRATEGY FOR SHARED SERVICES OWING TO ITS RICH TALENT ECOSYSTEM

- Shuchi Bansal

It may be early days yet, but the global audience measurement and data analytics firm Nielsen is looking to tap the India market beyond the Global Capability Centres (GCCs) that it is setting up to service its international business. GCCs are offshore units of multinational firms that provide miscellaneous services to the parent company. India has become a preferred location for GCCs owing to its skilled manpower, cost advantage and infrastructure.

So far, Nielsen operated a back office in India supporting mostly low or non-tech services. Separately, it is still a joint venture partner with Kantar in TAM Media Research which shuttered its TV ratings business in 2016 but continues to offer brand and market insights for TV, radio and print.

However, the company is now redefining its presence in the country. Partha Sengupta, managing director, Nielsen India, said major expansion is on the cards for the company. In the last 18 months, it has hired 3,000 professionals across technical and non-technical domains to support its global operations, taking the India headcount to 4,500, up from 1,500.

Nielsen's technology centres are coming up in Hyderabad and Gurgaon and it has leased large commercial space in Bangalore and Mumbai with plans to open offices in other states too.