Nielsen buying Harris Interactive for about $117M

Consumer research and TV ratings firm Nielsen is buying market research firm Harris Interactive for about $116.6 million.

Harris Interactive says Nielsen agreed to pay $2 per share, but the price may change. The per-share amount is 4 percent below Harris Interactive Inc.'s $2.08 Friday closing price.

Harris Interactive CEO Al Angrisani said in a statement on Monday that the company chose the Nielsen transaction after a review of its strategic options that started earlier this year. Harris Interactive's board unanimously approved the deal.

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter.

Shares of Rochester, N.Y.-based Harris Interactive are off 4.8 percent to $1.98 in morning trading. Shares of Nielsen Holdings N.V., which is based in New York and the Netherlands, are up 2.7 percent to $42.24.

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