Web analytics company comScore just announced that it has acquired advertising research agency ARSGroup. The acquisition was all-cash and is expected to close in March.
ComScore also reported earnings today, with revenues for the fourth quarter of 2009 coming in at $33.8 million, an increase of 7% over the fourth quarter of 2008.
The company says it has added 57 net customers during the quarter, which is the highest number of client adds since the second quarter of 2008 according to comScore President & CEO Dr. Magid Abraham.
For the entire (fiscal) year 2009, comScore reported revenues of $127.7 million, up from $117.4 million the year before, an 8.8% increase.
As for the acquisition of 42-year old ARSgroup: the company essentially helps advertisers measure, optimize and predict the effectiveness of their advertising messages. ARSgroup’s products help evaluate and quantify the impact of campaigns across various media, including television, print, radio, outdoor and digital.
With the purchase, comScore demonstrates that it is looking beyond online audience measurement for future business.
ComScore also recently acquired Certifica, a similar web measurement company based in Latin America. In 2008, the company bought up M:Mobile to broaden measurement offerings.