Following recent media speculation about the sale of Kantar Media, Ipsos released a statement confirming that it was in discussions over the purchase of Kantar Media, but said no concrete offer had been made at this time.

A report in the Sunday Times in November said that several companies were interested in buying Kantar Media, and estimated the value of any potential deal to be around £1bn.

Kantar Media is part of Kantar, which is jointly owned by private equity company Bain Capital and advertising firm WPP, with Kantar having been founded as WPP’s market research division in 1992.

WPP sold a 60% stake in Kantar Group to Bain Capital in 2019 that valued the company at around £3.2bn.

Ipsos’ statement said: “Following information published in the press, Ipsos, one of the world’s leading market research companies, confirms that discussions are currently underway regarding a potential acquisition of Kantar Media, in line with the company’s strategy to regularly evaluate investment opportunities that may strengthen its market position.

“There can be no certainty that any offer will be made, nor as to the terms on which any such offer might be made. There can be no assurance that these discussions will result in any agreement.”

Kantar Media declined to comment.