Nielsen (NLSN) 10-K 28 Feb 22 2021 FY Annual report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Jan. 31, 2022	Jun. 30, 2021
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2021
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2021
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Title of 12(b) Security	Ordinary shares, par value €0.07 per share
Trading Symbol	NLSN
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Registrant Name	Nielsen Holdings plc
Entity Central Index Key	0001492633
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Tax Identification Number	98-1225347
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity File Number	001-35042
Entity Address, Address Line One	675 Avenue of the Americas
Entity Address, City or Town	New York
Entity Address, State or Province	NY
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	10010
City Area Code	646
Local Phone Number	654-5000
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	X0
Document Annual Report	true
Document Transition Report	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		359,484,838
ICFR Auditor Attestation Flag	true
Entity Public Float			$ 8,788
Auditor Firm ID	42
Auditor Name	Ernst & Young LLP
Auditor Location	New York, New York
Documents Incorporated by Reference	Portions of the definitive Proxy Statement of the registrant to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the general rules and regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for the 2022 annual general meeting of shareholders of the registrant are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Other Address
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Address, Address Line One	5th Floor Endeavour House
Entity Address, City or Town	London
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	WC2H 8JR
City Area Code	646
Local Phone Number	654-5000
Entity Address, Address Line Two	189 Shaftesbury Avenue
Entity Address, Country	GB

Consolidated Statements of Oper

Consolidated Statements of Operations - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenues	[1]	$ 3,500	$ 3,361	$ 3,441
Cost of revenues, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		1,212	1,235	1,191
Selling, general and administrative expenses, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below		891	714	885
Depreciation and amortization		512	550	465
Impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets			146
Restructuring charges		13	37	30
Operating income		872	679	870
Interest expense, net		(285)	(329)	(342)
Foreign currency exchange transaction (losses)/gains, net		(5)	17	(13)
Other expense, net		(24)	(20)	(77)
Income from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in net loss of affiliates		558	347	438
Benefit/(provision) for income taxes		2	(144)	141
Equity in net loss of affiliates		(1)
Net income from continuing operations		559	203	579
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes		412	(196)	(982)
Net income/(loss)		971	7	(403)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		8	13	12
Net income/(loss) attributable to Nielsen shareholders		$ 963	$ (6)	$ (415)
Net income/(loss) per share of common stock, basic
Net income/(loss) from continuing operations attributable to Nielsen shareholders		$ 1.54	$ 0.53	$ 1.59
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations attributable to Nielsen shareholders.........................		1.15	(0.55)	(2.76)
Net income/(loss) attributable to Nielsen shareholders		2.69	(0.02)	(1.17)
Net income/(loss) per share of common stock, diluted
Net income attributable to Nielsen shareholders		1.53	0.53	1.59
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations attributable to Nielsen shareholders.........................		1.14	(0.55)	(2.75)
Net income/(loss) attributable to Nielsen shareholders		$ 2.67	$ (0.02)	$ (1.16)
Weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding, basic		358,649,432	356,860,635	355,731,862
Dilutive shares of common stock		1,801,082	1,404,459	1,099,853
Weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding, diluted		360,450,514	358,265,094	356,831,715
Dividends declared per common share		$ 0.24	$ 0.24	$ 1.11
[1]	Revenues are attributed to geographic areas based on the location of customers.

Consolidated Statements of Comp

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income/(Loss) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income/(loss)		$ 971	$ 7	$ (403)
Other comprehensive income/(loss), net of tax
Foreign currency translation adjustments	[1]	173	(45)	5
Changes in the fair value of cash flow hedges	[2]	21	(20)	(30)
Defined benefit pension plan adjustments	[3]	172	(35)	132
Total other comprehensive income/(loss)		366	(100)	107
Total comprehensive income/(loss)		1,337	(93)	(296)
Less: comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests		7	13	14
Total comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to Nielsen shareholders		$ 1,330	$ (106)	$ (310)
[1]	Net of tax of $(1) million, $9 million and $(4) million for the year ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
[2]	Net of tax of $(8) million, $8 million and $11 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
[3]	Net of tax of $(53) million, $8 million and $(8) million for the year ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Consolidated Statements of Co_2

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income/(Loss) (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Foreign currency translation adjustments, tax	$ (1)	$ 9	$ (4)
Changes in the fair value of cash flow hedges, tax	(8)	8	11
Defined benefit pension plan adjustments, tax	$ (53)	$ 8	$ (8)

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 380	$ 500
Trade and other receivables, net of allowances for doubtful accounts and sales returns of $13 and $23 as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively	517	465
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	243	195
Current assets, discontinued operations		1,064
Total current assets	1,140	2,224
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment, net	273	270
Operating lease right-of-use asset	144	161
Goodwill	5,599	5,680
Other intangible assets, net	3,462	3,663
Deferred tax assets	55	53
Other non-current assets	147	159
Non-current assets, discontinued operations		1,925
Total assets	10,820	14,135
Current liabilities
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	478	499
Deferred revenues	131	135
Income tax liabilities	13	15
Current portion of long-term debt, finance lease obligations and short-term borrowings	35	276
Current liabilities, discontinued operations		989
Total current liabilities	657	1,914
Non-current liabilities
Long-term debt and finance lease obligations	5,591	6,684
Deferred tax liabilities	561	888
Operating lease liabilities	126	140
Other non-current liabilities	389	429
Non-current liabilities, discontinued operations		1,837
Total liabilities	7,324	11,892
Commitments and contingencies (Note 16)
Nielsen shareholders’ equity
Common stock, €0.07 par value, 1,185,800,000 and 1,185,800,000 shares authorized; 359,267,580 and 357,678,263 shares issued and 359,267,535 and 357,644,935 shares outstanding at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively	32	32
Additional paid-in capital	4,273	4,340
Retained earnings/(accumulated deficit)	(253)	(1,216)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of income taxes	(738)	(1,105)
Total Nielsen shareholders’ equity	3,314	2,051
Noncontrolling interests	182	192
Total equity	3,496	2,243
Total liabilities and equity	$ 10,820	$ 14,135

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)shares	Dec. 31, 2021€ / shares	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)shares	Dec. 31, 2020€ / shares
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Trade and other receivables, allowances for doubtful accounts and sales returns | $	$ 13		$ 23
Common stock, par value | € / shares		€ 0.07		€ 0.07
Common stock, shares authorized	1,185,800,000		1,185,800,000
Common stock, shares issued	359,267,580		357,678,263
Common stock, shares outstanding	359,267,535		357,644,935

Consolidated Statements of Cash

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Operating Activities
Net income from continuing operations	$ 559	$ 203	$ 579
Net loss from discontinued operations	(77)	(196)	(982)
Gain on disposal of Global Connect, net of tax, within discontinued operations	489
Net income/(loss)	971	7	(403)
Adjustments to reconcile net income/(loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
Share-based compensation expense	37	53	50
Gain on disposal of Global Connect, net of tax, within discontinued operations	(489)
Deferred income tax	(116)	(69)	5
Currency exchange rate differences on financial transactions and other (gains)/losses	35	23	178
Equity in net loss of affiliates, net of dividends received	4		1
Depreciation and amortization	548	864	756
Impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets		184	1,004
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect of businesses acquired and divested:
Trade and other receivables, net	(66)	(28)	4
Prepaid expenses and other assets	(6)	138	64
Accounts payable and other current liabilities and deferred revenues	(184)	(38)	(20)
Other non-current liabilities	(61)	(95)	(95)
Interest payable	29	13	11
Income taxes	(36)	(53)	(489)
Net cash provided by operating activities	666	999	1,066
Investing Activities
Acquisition of subsidiaries and affiliates, net of cash acquired	(20)	(30)	(61)
Proceeds from the sale of subsidiaries and affiliates, net	2,269	13	17
Additions to property, plant and equipment and other assets	(81)	(86)	(116)
Additions to intangible assets	(260)	(433)	(403)
Proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment and other assets	3
Other investing activities	22	(1)	(19)
Net cash provided by/(used in) by investing activities	1,933	(537)	(582)
Financing Activities
Proceeds from issuances of debt, net of issuance costs	1,231	2,971
Repayment of debt	(3,882)	(3,092)	(57)
Cash dividends paid to shareholders	(86)	(86)	(395)
Activity from share-based compensation plans	(15)	(12)	(8)
Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan	2	3	4
Finance leases	(48)	(60)	(60)
Other financing activities	(18)	(31)	(28)
Net cash used in financing activities	(2,816)	(307)	(544)
Effect of exchange-rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(13)	1	(10)
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents	(230)	156	(70)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	610	454	524
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	380	610	454
Supplemental Cash Flow Information
Cash paid for income taxes	128	189	224
Cash paid for interest, net of amounts capitalized	$ 264	$ 358	$ 386

Consolidated Statements of Chan

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity - USD ($) $ in Millions		Total		Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit)	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), Net Currency Translation Adjustments	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), Net Cash Flow Hedges	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), Net Post Employment Benefits	Total Nielsen Shareholders' Equity	Noncontrolling Interests
Balance at Dec. 31, 2018		$ 3,043		$ 32	$ 4,720	$ (795)	$ (779)	$ 11	$ (342)	$ 2,847	$ 196
Net income/(loss)		(403)				(415)				(415)	12
Currency translation adjustments, net of tax		5					3			3	2
Cash flow hedges, net of tax		(30)	[1]					(30)		(30)
Defined benefit pension plan adjustments		132	[2]						132	132
Capital contribution by non-controlling partner		2									2
(Divestiture)/acquisition of an interest in a consolidated subsidiary		(2)									(2)
Employee stock purchase plan		4			4					4
Dividends to shareholders		(412)			(395)					(395)	(17)
Common stock activity from share-based compensation plans		(8)			(8)					(8)
Share-based compensation expense		57			57					57
Balance at Dec. 31, 2019		2,388		32	4,378	(1,210)	(776)	(19)	(210)	2,195	193
Net income/(loss)		7				(6)				(6)	13
Currency translation adjustments, net of tax		(45)					(45)			(45)
Cash flow hedges, net of tax		(20)	[1]					(20)		(20)
Defined benefit pension plan adjustments		(35)	[2]						(35)	(35)
Capital contribution by non-controlling partner		1									1
Employee stock purchase plan		4			4					4
Dividends to shareholders		(101)			(86)					(86)	(15)
Common stock activity from share-based compensation plans		(12)			(12)					(12)
Share-based compensation expense		56			56					56
Balance at Dec. 31, 2020		2,243		32	4,340	(1,216)	(821)	(39)	(245)	2,051	192
Net income/(loss)		971				963				963	8
Currency translation adjustments, net of tax		(60)					(59)			(59)	(1)
Cash flow hedges, net of tax		21	[1]					21		21
Defined benefit pension plan adjustments	[2]	172
Unrealized gains on pension liability, net of tax		31							31	31
Other comprehensive gain on disposition, net of tax		374					233		141	374
Employee stock purchase plan		2			2					2
Dividends to shareholders		(101)			(86)					(86)	(15)
Common stock activity from share-based compensation plans		(10)			(10)					(10)
Share-based compensation expense		36			36					36
Other		(11)			(9)					(9)	(2)
Balance at Dec. 31, 2021		$ 3,496		$ 32	$ 4,273	$ (253)	$ (647)	$ (18)	$ (73)	$ 3,314	$ 182
[1]	Net of tax of $(8) million, $8 million and $11 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
[2]	Net of tax of $(53) million, $8 million and $(8) million for the year ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Consolidated Statements of Ch_2

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement Of Stockholders Equity [Abstract]
Currency translation adjustments, tax	$ (1)	$ 9	$ (4)
Cash flow hedges, tax	(8)	8	11
Unrealized gain on pension liability, tax	(11)
Defined benefit pension plan adjustments, tax	$ (53)	$ 8	$ (8)

Description of Business, Basis

Description of Business, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Description of Business, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies	Note Nielsen Holdings plc (“Nielsen” or the “Company”) serves the world’s media and content ecosystem and is a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through its understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, Nielsen empowers its clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their audiences—now and into the future. Nielsen provides a holistic and objective understanding of the media industry to its various client segments. The Company’s data is used by its publishing clients to understand their audiences, establish the value of their advertising inventory and maximize the value of their content. Its data is used by its marketer and advertiser agency clients to plan and optimize their spend and is used by content creator clients to inform decisions and identify trends. An S&P 500 company, Nielsen has operations in more than 55 countries, with its registered office located in Oxford, the United Kingdom and headquarters located in New York, United States. On August 31, 2015, Nielsen N.V., a Dutch public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, merged with Nielsen Holdings plc, by way of a cross-border merger under the European Cross-Border Merger Directive, with Nielsen Holdings plc being the surviving company (the “Merger”). The Merger effectively changed the place of incorporation of Nielsen’s publicly traded parent holding company from the Netherlands to England and Wales, with no changes made to the business being conducted by Nielsen prior to the Merger. Due to the fact that the Merger was a business combination between entities under common control, the exchange of assets and liabilities were made at carrying value. Therefore, there were no direct accounting implications in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Sale of Nielsen’s Global Connect Business On March 5, 2021, Nielsen completed the previously announced sale of its Global Connect business (such business, “Global Connect,” and the sale of Global Connect, the “Connect Transaction”) to affiliates of Advent International Corporation (“Purchaser”), pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 31, 2020 (the “Stock Purchase Agreement”). Pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, Purchaser acquired Global Connect by means of a sale of the equity interests of certain subsidiaries held by Nielsen, which operate Global Connect, for $2.7 billion in cash, subject to adjustments based on closing levels of cash, indebtedness, debt-like items and working capital, and a warrant to purchase equity interests in the company that, following the sale, owns Global Connect (the “Connect Warrant”). The Company received net proceeds of $2.4 billion on March 5, 2021 andrecorded a gain of $489 million net of tax, inclusive of closing adjustments, during the year ended December 31, 2021. Proceeds from the sale were primarily utilized for debt repayment. See Note 20 to our consolidated financial statements– Discontinued Operations. The results of operations of Global Connect have been classified as discontinued operations for all periods presented. As such, the results of Global Connect have been excluded from both continuing operations and segment results for all periods presented. Nielsen’s continuing business operates as a single operating and reportable segment. The accompanying consolidated financial statements are presented in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). All amounts are presented in U.S. Dollars (“$”), except for share and per share data or where expressly stated as being in other currencies, e.g., Euros (“€”). The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Nielsen and all subsidiaries and other controlled entities. Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Nielsen and all subsidiaries and other controlled entities. Noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries are reported as a component of equity in the consolidated financial statements with disclosure on the face of the consolidated statements of operations of the amounts of consolidated net income/(loss) attributable to Nielsen shareholders and to the noncontrolling interests. The equity method of accounting is used for investments in affiliates and joint ventures where Nielsen has significant influence but not control, usually supported by a shareholding of between 20% and 50% of the voting rights. In addition, the Company records changes in the fair value of non-equity method equity investments with readily determinable fair values in net income rather than in accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss). Investments that do not have readily determinable fair values are recognized at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. The adjustments related to the observable price changes will also be recognized in net income. Intercompany accounts and transactions between consolidated companies have been eliminated in consolidation. Foreign Currency Translation Nielsen has significant investments outside the U.S., primarily in the Euro-zone, Canada and the United Kingdom. Therefore, changes in the value of foreign currencies affect the consolidated financial statements when translated into U.S. Dollars. The functional currency for substantially all subsidiaries outside the U.S. is the local currency. Financial statements for these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. Dollars at period-end exchange rates as to the assets and liabilities and monthly average exchange rates as to revenues, expenses and cash flows. For these countries, currency translation adjustments are recognized in shareholders’ equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss), net, whereas transaction gains and losses are recognized in foreign exchange transaction losses, net in the consolidated statement of operations. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amount of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Research and Development Costs Research and development costs, which were not material for any periods presented, are expensed as incurred. Deferred Costs Incremental direct costs incurred related to establishing or significantly expanding a panel in a designated market are deferred at the point when Nielsen determines them to be recoverable. Prior to this point, these costs are expensed as incurred. These deferred costs are typically amortized through cost of revenues over the original contract period beginning when the panel or infrastructure to service new clients is ready for its intended use. Advertising and Marketing Costs Advertising and marketing costs are expensed as incurred and are reflected as selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. These costs include all brand advertising, telemarketing, direct mail and other sales promotions associated with marketing/media research services. Advertising and marketing costs totaled $19 million, $5 million and $8 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Computation of Net Income per Share Basic net income per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net income per share is computed using the weighted-average number of shares of common stock and dilutive potential shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Dilutive potential shares of common stock primarily consist of employee stock options and restricted stock. Employee stock options, restricted stock and similar equity instruments granted by the Company are treated as potential common stock outstanding in computing diluted earnings per share. Diluted stock outstanding includes nonvested restricted stock units and the dilutive effect of in-the-money options which is calculated based on the average share price for each period using the treasury stock method. Under the treasury stock method, the amount the employee must pay for exercising stock options, the amount of compensation cost for future service that the Company has not yet recognized are assumed to be used to repurchase stock. The effect of 2,342,903, 3,132,528 and 3,950,984 shares of common stock equivalents under stock compensation plans were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively, as such shares would have been anti-dilutive. Comprehensive Income/(Loss) Comprehensive income/(loss) is reported in the accompanying consolidated statements of comprehensive income/(loss) and consists of net income/(loss) and other gains and losses, net of tax, affecting equity that are excluded from net income/(loss). Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents include cash and short-term, highly liquid investments with an original maturity date of three months or less. Cash and cash equivalents are carried at fair value. Accounts Receivable The Company extends non-interest bearing trade credit to its customers in the ordinary course of business. To minimize credit risk, ongoing credit evaluations of clients’ financial condition are performed. Nielsen is required to measure expected credit losses on trade accounts receivable. Nielsen considered the asset’s contractual life, the risk of loss and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions. The estimate of expected credit losses reflects the risk of loss, even if management believes no loss was incurred as of the measurement date. During the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the Company sold $10 million, $249 million and $318 million, respectively, of accounts receivables to third parties and recorded an immaterial loss on the sale to interest expense, net in the consolidated statement of operations. As of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, zero, $30 million and $66 million, respectively, of previously sold receivables, remained outstanding. The sales were accounted for as true sales, without recourse. Nielsen maintains servicing responsibilities of the receivables sold during the year, for which the related costs are not significant. The proceeds of $10 million, $249 million and $318 million from the sales were reported as a component of the changes in trade and other receivables, net within operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows. Discontinued Operations Nielsen considers an asset to be held for sale when management, having the authority through shareholder and/or Board approval, as needed, commits to a formal plan to actively market the asset for sale at a price reasonable in relation to fair value, the asset is available for immediate sale in its present condition, an active program to locate a buyer and other actions required to complete the sale have been initiated, the sale of the asset is expected to be completed within one year and it is unlikely that significant changes will be made to the plan. Upon designation as held for sale, Nielsen records the carrying value of the asset at the lower of its carrying value or its estimated fair value, less costs to sell. In accordance with GAAP, assets held for sale are not depreciated or amortized. If the disposal of the component of an entity (or group of components) represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results, it meets the criteria for discontinued operations. The results of discontinued operations, as well as any gain or loss on the disposal transaction, are presented separately, net of tax, from the results of continuing operations for all periods presented. The expenses included in the results of discontinued operations are the direct operating expenses incurred by the discontinued segment that may be reasonably segregated from the costs of the ongoing operations of the Company. Certain corporate costs directly attributable to the discontinued operations and transaction costs directly related to the sale are also presented within net income/(loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes. The assets and liabilities have been accounted for as assets held for sale in Nielsen’s consolidated balance sheets through the date of the sale. The operating results related to these lines of business have been included in discontinued operations in Nielsen’s consolidated statements of operations. The consolidated statement of cash flows presents combined cash flows from continuing operations with cash flows from discontinued operations within each cash flow statement category. See Note 20 – Discontinued Operations for further detail. Other Significant Accounting Policies The following table includes other significant accounting policies that are described in other notes to the financial statements, including the related note: Significant Accounting Policy Note Revenue recognition 3 Leases 5 Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets 6 Impairment of Long-Lived Assets 6&8 Property, Plant and Equipment 8 Investments 9 Financial Instruments 9 Derivative Financial Instruments 9 Pensions and Other Post Retirement Benefits 11 Share-Based Compensation 14 Income Taxes 15

Summary of Recent Accounting Pr

Summary of Recent Accounting Pronouncements	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Note Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income taxes Effective January 1, 2021, the Company adopted ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. The standard amends and aims to simplify accounting disclosure requirements regarding a number of topics including: intraperiod tax allocation, accounting for deferred taxes when there are changes in consolidation of certain investments, tax basis step up in an acquisition and the application of effective rate changes during interim periods, amongst other improvements. Upon adoption, this new standard did not have a significant impact on Nielsen’s financial statements. Reference Rate Reform - On March 12, 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (“ASC 848”): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. ASC 848 contains optional expedients and exceptions for applying GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected by reference rate reform. The provisions of ASC 848 must be applied at a Topic, Subtopic or Industry Subtopic for all transactions other than derivatives, which may be applied at a hedging relationship level. The Company has elected to apply the hedge accounting expedients related to probability and the assessments of effectiveness for future London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”)-indexed cash flows to assume that the index upon which future hedged transactions will be based matches the index on the corresponding derivatives. Application of these expedients preserves the presentation of derivatives consistent with past presentation. The Company continues to evaluate the impact of the guidance and may apply other elections as applicable as additional changes in the market occur.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Revenue Recognition [Abstract]
Revenue Recognition	Note Revenue is measured based on the consideration specified in a contract with a customer. The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control of a product or service to a customer, which generally occurs over time. Substantially all of the Company’s customer contracts are non-cancelable and non-refundable. Revenue is primarily generated from television, radio, digital and mobile audience measurement services and analytics, which are used by the Company’s clients to establish the value of airtime and more effectively schedule and promote their programming and the Company’s advertising clients to plan and optimize their spend. As the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by the Company’s performance, revenues for these services are recognized over the period during which the performance obligations are satisfied and control of the service is transferred to the customer. The Company enters into cooperation arrangements with certain customers, under which the customer provides Nielsen with its data in exchange for Nielsen’s services. Nielsen records these transactions at fair value, which is determined based on the fair value of goods or services received, if reasonably estimable. If not reasonably estimable, the Company considers the fair value of the goods or services surrendered. The table below sets forth the Company’s revenue disaggregated by major product offerings and timing of revenue recognition. (IN MILLIONS) Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Measurement $ 2,545 $ 2,455 $ 2,471 Impact/Content 955 906 970 Total $ 3,500 $ 3,361 $ 3,441 Timing of revenue recognition Products transferred at a point in time $ 397 $ 342 $ 286 Products and services transferred over time 3,103 3,019 3,155 Total $ 3,500 $ 3,361 $ 3,441 Contract Assets and Liabilities Contract assets represent the Company’s rights to consideration in exchange for services transferred to a customer that have not been billed as of the reporting date. While the Company’s rights to consideration are generally unconditional at the time its performance obligations are satisfied, under certain circumstances the related billing occurs in arrears, generally within one month of the services being rendered. At the inception of a contract, the Company generally expects the period between when it transfers its services to its customers and when the customer pays for such services will be one year or less. Contract liabilities relate to advance consideration received or the right to consideration that is unconditional from customers for which revenue is recognized when the performance obligation is satisfied and control is transferred to the customer. The table below sets forth the Company’s contract assets and contract liabilities from contracts with customers. (IN MILLIONS) Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 Contract assets $ 97 $ 94 Contract liabilities $ 131 $ 135 The increase in the contract assets balance during the period was primarily due to $88 million of revenue recognized that was not billed, in accordance with the terms of the contracts, as of December 31, 2021, partially offset by $84 million of contract assets included in the December 31, 2020 balance that were invoiced to Nielsen’s clients and therefore transferred to trade receivables. The decrease in the contract liability balance during the period was primarily due to $120 million of revenue recognized during the period that had been included in the December 31, 2020 contract liability balance and the effect of foreign currency translation, partially offset by $120 million of advance consideration received or the right to consideration that is unconditional from customers for which revenue was not recognized during the period. Transaction Price Allocated to the Remaining Performance Obligations As of December 31, 2021, approximately $3.3 billion of revenue is expected to be recognized from remaining performance obligations that are unsatisfied (or partially unsatisfied) for Nielsen’s services. This amount excludes variable consideration allocated to performance obligations related to sales and usage based royalties on licenses of intellectual property. The Company expects to recognize revenue on approximately 85% of these remaining performance obligations through December 31, 2023, with the balance recognized thereafter. Deferred Costs Incremental direct costs incurred to build the infrastructure to service new contracts are capitalized as a contract cost. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the balances of such capitalized costs were $31 million and $3 million, respectively. These costs are typically amortized through cost of revenues over the original contract period beginning when the infrastructure to service new clients is ready for its intended use. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, there was no amo rtization recorded given that the Company has not yet begun to transfer the goods and services associated with these capitalized costs. There was no impairment loss recorded in any of the periods recorded . Expected Credit Losses Nielsen is required to measure expected credit losses on trade accounts receivable. Nielsen considered the asset’s contractual life, the risk of loss and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic The following schedule represents the allowance for doubtful accounts rollforward incorporating expected credit losses for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. (IN MILLIONS) Balance Net Charges to Deductions Effect of Balance at Allowance for accounts receivable Year ended December 31, 2021 $ 11 $ (4 ) $ - $ (1 ) $ 6 Year ended December 31, 2020 8 7 (4 ) - 11

Business Acquisitions

Business Acquisitions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Business Acquisitions	Note 4. Business Acquisitions For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, Nielsen paid cash consideration of $20 million, $3 million and $45 million, respectively, associated with current period acquisitions, net of cash acquired. Had these acquisitions occurred as of January 1 of each year, the impact on Nielsen’s consolidated results of operations would not have been material.

Leases

Leases	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Leases [Abstract]
Leases	Note All significant lease arrangements are generally recognized at lease commencement. Operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and lease liabilities are recognized at commencement. An ROU asset and corresponding lease liability are not recorded for leases with an initial term of 12 months or less (short term leases) and Nielsen recognizes lease expense for these short term leases as incurred over the lease term . ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset during the reasonably certain lease term, and lease liabilities represent its obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Nielsen’s lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that Nielsen will exercise that option. Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. Nielsen uses the rate implicit in the lease for the discount rate when determining the present value of lease payments whenever that rate is readily determinable. If the rate is not readily determinable, Nielsen uses its incremental borrowing rate, which is updated periodically, based on the information available at commencement date. The operating lease ROU asset also includes any lease payments related to initial direct cost and prepayments and excludes lease incentives. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Nielsen has lease agreements with lease and non-lease components, which are generally accounted for together . Nielsen has operating and finance leases for real estate facilities, servers, computer hardware, and other equipment. Nielsen’s leases have remaining lease terms of 1 year to 20 years, some of which include options to extend the leases for up to 5 years, and some of which include options to terminate the leases within 1 year. The components of lease expense were as follows: (in millions) Year Ended December 31, 2021 Year Ended December 31, 2020 Year Ended December 31, 2019 Lease cost Finance lease cost: Amortization of right-of-use assets $ 44 $ 41 $ 40 Interest on lease liabilities 5 6 7 Total finance lease cost 49 47 47 Operating lease cost 55 52 44 Variable lease costs 2 - - Short-term lease costs 1 - 1 Sublease income (5 ) (1 ) (2 ) Total lease cost $ 102 $ 98 $ 90 Nielsen recognized rental income received under subleases from operating leases of $3 million, zero and $2 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. At December 31, 2021, Nielsen had aggregate future proceeds to be received under operating lease sub-lease guarantees of $6 million. Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows: (in millions, except lease term and discount rate) December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Operating leases Operating lease right-of-use assets $ 144 $ 161 Other current liabilities 54 50 Operating lease liabilities 126 140 Total operating lease liabilities $ 180 $ 190 Finance leases Property, plant and equipment, gross $ 327 $ 300 Accumulated depreciation (220 ) (175 ) Property, plant and equipment, net 107 125 Other intangible assets, gross 12 11 Accumulated amortization (10 ) (9 ) Other intangible assets, net 2 2 Accounts payable and other current liabilities 34 39 Long-term debt and finance lease obligations 42 59 Total finance lease liabilities $ 76 $ 98 Other information Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities Operating cash flows used in finance leases (5 ) (6 ) Operating cash flows used in operating leases (66 ) (41 ) Financing cash flows used in finance leases (45 ) (44 ) Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities 26 32 Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities 29 30 Weighted-average remaining lease term--finance leases 2 years 3 years Weighted-average remaining lease term--operating leases 6 years 7 years Weighted-average discount rate--finance leases 5.0 % 5.2 % Weighted-average discount rate--operating leases 2.9 % 4.0 % Annual maturities of Nielsen’s lease liabilities are as follows: (in millions) Operating Leases Finance Leases 2022 $ 57 $ 38 2023 42 28 2024 25 11 2025 14 2 2026 11 - Thereafter 47 - Total lease payments 196 79 Less imputed interest (16 ) (3 ) Total $ 180 $ 76

Goodwill and Other Intangible A

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	Note Goodwill Goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets, consisting of certain trade names and trademarks, are each tested for impairment on an annual basis and whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such asset may not be recoverable. Nielsen has designated October 1st as the date in which the annual assessment is performed as this timing corresponds with the development of the Company’s formal budget and business plan review. Nielsen reviews the recoverability of its goodwill by comparing the estimated fair value of Nielsen’s reporting unit with the respective carrying amount. The Company established, and continues to evaluate, its reporting unit based on its internal reporting structure and defines such reporting unit at its operating segment level or one level below. The estimates of fair value of a reporting unit are determined using a combination of valuation techniques, primarily an income approach using a discounted cash flow analysis supplemented by a market-based approach. A discounted cash flow analysis requires the use of various assumptions, including expectations of future cash flows, growth rates, discount rates and tax rates in developing the present value of future cash flow projections. The market-based approach utilizes available market comparisons such as indicative industry multiples that are applied to current year revenue and earnings as well as recent comparable transactions. Nielsen conducted the annual assessment as of October 1, 2021 and concluded that there was no impairment. Goodwill is stated at historical cost less accumulated impairments losses, if any. The table below summarizes the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. (IN MILLIONS) Balance, December 31, 2019 $ 5,662 Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments (3 ) Effect of foreign currency translation 21 Balance, December 31, 2020 $ 5,680 Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments (62 ) Effect of foreign currency translation (19 ) Balance, December 31, 2021 $ 5,599 Cumulative impairments $ 376 At December 31, 2021, $20 million of goodwill is expected to be deductible for income tax purposes. Other Intangible Assets Intangible assets with finite lives are stated at historical cost, less accumulated amortization and impairment losses. These intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the following estimated useful lives, which are reviewed annually. Nielsen has purchased and internally developed software to facilitate its global information processing, financial reporting and client access needs. Costs that are related to the conceptual formulation and design of software programs are expensed as incurred. Costs that are incurred to produce the finished product after technological feasibility has been established are capitalized as an intangible asset and are amortized over the estimated useful life. If events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of software may not be recovered, a recoverability analysis is performed based on estimated undiscounted cash flows to be generated from the software in the future. If the analysis indicates that the carrying value is not recoverable from the future cash flows, the software cost is written down to estimated fair value and an impairment is recognized. These estimates are subject to revision as market conditions and as the Company’s assessments change. Certain of the trade names associated with Nielsen are deemed indefinite-lived intangible assets, as their associated Nielsen brand awareness and recognition has existed for over 50 years and the Company intends to continue to utilize these trade names. There are also no legal, regulatory, contractual, competitive, economic or other factors that may limit their estimated useful lives. Nielsen reconsiders the remaining estimated useful life of indefinite-lived intangible assets each reporting period. The impairment test for other indefinite-lived intangible assets consists of a comparison of the fair value of an intangible asset with its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of the intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. The estimates of fair value of trade names and trademarks are determined using a “relief from royalty” discounted cash flow valuation methodology. Significant assumptions inherent in this methodology include estimates of royalty rates , estimated future revenue (inclusive of long-term revenue growth rates) and discount rates. Discount rate assumptions are based on an assessment of the risk inherent in the respective intangible assets. Assumptions about royalty rates are based on the rates at which comparable trade names and trademarks are being licensed in the marketplace. The 2021 evaluation resulted in no indefinite lived intangible impairment charges. As of the annual impairment assessment, the fair value exceeded carrying value by less than 10%. The valuation is sensitive to the assumptions discussed above. A downward trend in revenue projections or an increase in discount rate could lead to a future impairment. Pursuant to the Connect Transaction, we granted Purchaser a license to brand its products and services with the Nielsen name and other trademarks for 20 years following the closing of the Connect Transaction. There was an indefinite-lived trade name historically recognized within the Connect segment. However, as this indefinite-lived trade name will be retained by us as part of the Connect Transaction, the trade name is included within continuing operations. During the first quarter of 2021, we concluded that there was a triggering event for an interim impairment assessment as a result of the change in unit of account of the indefinite-lived intangibles as a result of the sale of Global Connect. Based on our interim impairment assessment, Nielsen concluded that the estimated fair values exceeded their carrying values, thus no impairment was recorded. During the fourth quarter of 2020 as of our October 1, 2020 assessment date, Nielsen concluded that the fair value was less than the carrying amount for our indefinite-lived intangible asset and recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $88 million. The impairment was primarily a result of change in market comparable data inputs utilized in establishing the discount rate, which resulted in a higher discount rate in the valuation, as well as slightly downward revisions of management’s forecasts of future revenues. Nielsen is required to assess whether the value of the Company’s amortizable intangible assets have been impaired whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets might not be recoverable. Nielsen does not perform a periodic assessment of assets for impairment in the absence of such information or indicators. Conditions that would necessitate an impairment assessment include a significant decline in the observable market value of an asset, a significant change in the extent or manner in which an asset is used or a significant adverse change that would indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or group of assets is not recoverable. Recoverability of assets that are held and used is measured by comparing the sum of the future undiscounted cash flows expected to be derived from an asset (or a group of assets) to their carrying value. If the carrying value of the asset (or the group of assets) exceeds the sum of the future undiscounted cash flows, impairment is considered to exist. If impairment is considered to exist based on undiscounted cash flows, the impairment charge is measured using an estimation of the assets’ fair value, typically using a discounted cash flow method. The identification of impairment indicators, the estimation of future cash flows and the determination of fair values for assets (or groups of assets) requires Nielsen to make significant judgments concerning the identification and validation of impairment indicators, expected cash flows and applicable discount rates. These estimates are subject to revision as market conditions and the Company’s assessments change. There was no impairment or indicators of impairment noted in 2021 with respect to the Company’s amortizable intangible assets. During 2020, Nielsen decided to exit smaller, underperforming markets and non-core businesses and product lines and concluded that this decision represented an impairment indicator for the long-lived assets within those markets and businesses. In addition, during the fourth quarter of 2020, Nielsen identified a change in the extent to which certain self-developed software would be utilized and concluded this represented an impairment indicator. To the extent that the carrying value of the assets exceeded the sum of the future undiscounted cash flows, we measured an impairment charge using a discounted cash flow method for estimation of the assets’ fair value. The non-cash impairment charge for amortizable intangibles was $53 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The table below summarizes the carrying value of such intangible assets and their estimated useful lives: Gross Amounts Accumulated Amortization Estimated Weighted December 31, December 31, December 31, December 31, (IN MILLIONS) Useful Lives Average 2021 2020 2021 2020 Indefinite-lived intangibles: Trade names and trademarks $ 1,833 $ 1,833 $ — $ — Amortized intangibles: Trade names and trademarks 5-20 years 9 years 110 128 (96 ) (110 ) Customer-related intangibles 6-25 years 20 years 2,558 2,564 (1,689 ) (1,580 ) Covenants-not-to-compete 1-7 years 2 years 26 26 (26 ) (26 ) Content databases 12-16 years 12 years 168 168 (67 ) (53 ) Computer software 3-10 years 5 years 1,572 1,372 (947 ) (692 ) Patents and other 3-10 years 7 years 148 153 (128 ) (120 ) Total $ 4,582 $ 4,411 $ (2,953 ) $ (2,581 ) The amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 was $412 million, $444 million and $356 million, respectively. These amounts include amortization expense associated with computer software of $269 million, $292 million and $199 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. At December 31, 2021, the net book value of purchased software and internally developed software was $11 million and $614 million, respectively All other intangible assets are subject to amortization. Future amortization expense is estimated to be as follows: (IN MILLIONS) For the year ending December 31: 2022 $ 397 2023 322 2024 234 2025 155 2026 133 Thereafter 388 Total $ 1,629

Changes in and Reclassification

Changes in and Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss) by Component	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Equity [Abstract]
Changes in and Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss) by Component	Note The table below summarizes the changes in accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss), net of tax, by component for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Currency Translation Cash Flow Post-Employment (IN MILLIONS) Adjustments Hedges Benefits Total Balance December 31, 2020 $ (821 ) $ (39 ) $ (245 ) $ (1,105 ) Other comprehensive (loss)/income before reclassifications $ (60 ) $ 3 $ 28 $ (29 ) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss 233 18 144 395 Net current period other comprehensive income 173 21 172 366 Net current period other comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interest (1 ) — — (1 ) Net current period other comprehensive income attributable to Nielsen shareholders 174 21 172 367 Balance December 31, 2021 $ (647 ) $ (18 ) $ (73 ) $ (738 ) Currency Translation Cash Flow Post-Employment (IN MILLIONS) Adjustments Hedges Benefits Total Balance December 31, 2019 $ (776 ) $ (19 ) $ (210 ) $ (1,005 ) Other comprehensive income/(loss) before reclassifications $ (45 ) $ (37 ) $ (44 ) $ (126 ) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income)/loss — 17 9 26 Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to Nielsen shareholders (45 ) (20 ) (35 ) (100 ) Balance December 31, 2020 $ (821 ) $ (39 ) $ (245 ) $ (1,105 ) The table below summarizes the reclassification of accumulated other comprehensive loss by component for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other (IN MILLIONS) Comprehensive Loss/(Income) Details about Accumulated Affected Line Item in the Other Comprehensive Year Ended December 31, Consolidated Income components 2021 2020 Statement of Operations Currency Translation Adjustments Currency translation losses on dispositions (1) $ 233 $ — Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations Cash flow hedges Interest rate contracts $ 25 $ 23 Interest (income)/expense (7 ) (6 ) (Benefit)/provision for income taxes $ 18 $ 17 Total, net of tax Post-Employment Benefits Amortization of actuarial loss (2) $ 14 $ 17 Other expense, net (11 ) (8 ) (Benefit)/provision for income taxes $ 3 $ 9 Total, net of tax Unrealized (gains)/losses on pension liability on dispositions (1) $ 141 $ — Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations Total Post-Employment Benefits reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income)/loss $ 144 $ 9 Total reclassification for the period $ 395 $ 26 Net of tax (1) The sale of Global Connect resulted . (2) This accumulated other comprehensive loss component is included in the computation of net periodic pension cost .

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, Plant and Equipment	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Property, Plant and Equipment	Note Property, plant and equipment are carried at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Property, plant and equipment are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives. Nielsen is required to assess whether the value of our long-lived assets, including the Company’s buildings, improvements, technical and other equipment, have been impaired whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets might not be recoverable. Nielsen does not perform a periodic assessment of assets for impairment in the absence of such information or indicators. Conditions that would necessitate an impairment assessment include a significant decline in the observable market value of an asset, a significant change in the extent or manner in which an asset is used or a significant adverse change that would indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or group of assets is not recoverable. Recoverability of assets that are held and used is measured by comparing the sum of the future undiscounted cash flows expected to be derived from an asset (or a group of assets) to their carrying value. If the carrying value of the asset (or the group of assets) exceeds the sum of the future undiscounted cash flows, impairment is considered to exist. If impairment is considered to exist based on undiscounted cash flows, the impairment charge is measured using an estimation of the assets’ fair value, typically using a discounted cash flow method. The identification of impairment indicators, the estimation of future cash flows and the determination of fair values for assets (or groups of assets) requires Nielsen to make significant judgments concerning the identification and validation of impairment indicators, expected cash flows and applicable discount rates. These estimates are subject to revision as market conditions and our assessments change. During 2020, Nielsen concluded that the decision to exit smaller, underperforming markets and non-core businesses was an impairment indicator for the long-lived assets within those exits. Where the carrying value of the assets exceeded the sum of the future undiscounted cash flows, we measured an impairment charge using a discounted cash flow method for estimation of the assets’ fair value. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized a pre-tax non-cash impairment charge associated with property, plant and equipment of $5 million. There was no impairment or indicators of impairment noted in 2021 with respect to the Company’s property, plant and equipment. The following tables summarizes the carrying value of our property, plant and equipment including the associated useful lives: Estimated December 31, December 31, (IN MILLIONS) Useful Life 2021 2020 Land and buildings 25-50 years $ 177 $ 174 Information and communication equipment 3-10 years 649 567 Furniture, equipment and other 3-10 years 30 19 856 760 Less accumulated depreciation and amortization (583 ) (490 ) $ 273 $ 270 Depreciation and amortization expense from operations related to property, plant and equipment was $93 million, $90 million and $91 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The above amounts include amortization expense on assets under finance leases and other financing obligations of $42 million, $37 million and $40 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Finance leases and other financing obligations are comprised primarily of land and buildings and information and communication equipment. See Note 5 “Leases” for further information on finance leases.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements	Note 9. Fair Value Measurements Nielsen’s financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, investments, long-term debt and derivative financial instruments. These financial instruments potentially subject Nielsen to concentrations of credit risk. To minimize the risk of credit loss, these financial instruments are primarily held with acknowledged financial institutions. The carrying value of Nielsen’s financial instruments approximate fair value, except for differences with respect to long-term, fixed and variable-rate debt. The fair value of financial instruments is generally determined by reference to market values resulting from trading on a national securities exchange or in an over-the-counter market. In cases where quoted market prices are not available, fair value is based on estimates using present value or other valuation techniques. Cash equivalents have original maturities of three months or less. In addition, the Company has accounts receivable that are not collateralized. Nielsen services high quality clients dispersed across many geographic areas. The Company analyzes the aging of accounts receivable, historical bad debts, customer creditworthiness and current economic trends in determining the allowance for doubtful accounts. Investments include investments in affiliates and a trading asset portfolio maintained to generate returns to offset changes in certain liabilities related to deferred compensation arrangements. Nielsen assesses declines in the value of individual investments to determine whether such decline is other than temporary and thus the investment is impaired by considering available evidence. No impairment charge was recorded for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining fair value, the Company considers the principal or most advantageous market in which the Company would transact, and also considers assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability, such as inherent risk, transfer restrictions, and risk of non-performance . There are three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value: Level 1: Quoted market prices available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date. Level 2: Pricing inputs other than quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date. Level 3: Pricing inputs that are generally unobservable and may not be corroborated by market data. Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Recurring Basis The Company’s financial assets and liabilities are measured and recorded at fair value, except for equity method investments and long-term debt. Financial assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurements. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurements requires judgment, and may affect the valuation of the assets and liabilities being measured and their placement within the fair value hierarchy. In addition, the Company records changes in the fair value of equity investments with readily determinable fair values in net income rather than in accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss). Investments that do not have readily determinable fair values are recognized at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. The adjustments related to the observable price changes will also be recognized in net income . The following table summarizes the valuation of the Company’s material financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2021 and 2020: December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Assets: Plan assets for deferred compensation (1) $ 24 $ 24 $ — $ — Investment in mutual funds (2) 1 1 — — Warrant (3 ) 6 — — 6 Total $ 31 $ 25 $ — $ 6 Liabilities: Interest rate swap arrangements (4 ) $ 22 $ — $ 22 $ — Deferred compensation liabilities (5 ) 24 24 — — Total $ 46 $ 24 $ 22 $ — December 31, 2020 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Assets: Plan assets for deferred compensation (1) $ 24 $ 24 $ — $ — Investment in mutual funds (2) 2 2 — — Total $ 26 $ 26 $ — $ — Liabilities: Interest rate swap arrangements (3) $ 52 $ — $ 52 $ — Deferred compensation liabilities (5 ) 24 24 — — Total $ 76 $ 24 $ 52 $ — ( 1 ) Plan assets are comprised of investments in mutual funds, which are intended to fund liabilities arising from deferred compensation plans. These investments are carried at fair value, which is based on quoted market prices at period end in active markets. These investments are classified as equity securities with any gains or losses resulting from changes in fair value recorded in other income/(expense), net in the consolidated statement of operations. (2) Investments in mutual funds are money-market accounts held with the intention of funding certain specific retirement plans. ( 3 ) The estimated fair value of the Connect Warrant issued March 5, 2021 of $5 million was part of the proceeds related to the sale of Global Connect and included in the net gain on sale of Global Connect. The Connect Warrant is marked-to-market each reporting period with the subsequent change in fair value recorded to other income/(expense), net in the consolidated statement of operations. The Connect Warrant is reported within other non-current assets within the consolidated balance sheet. The fair value of the Connect Warrant asset is estimated using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model and had an estimated fair value of $6 million as of December 31, 2021. ( 4 ) Derivative financial instruments include interest rate swap arrangements recorded at fair value based on externally-developed valuation models that use readily observable market parameters and the consideration of counterparty risk. ( 5 ) The Company offers certain employees the opportunity to participate in a deferred compensation plan. A participant’s deferrals are invested in a variety of participant directed stock and bond mutual funds and are classified as equity securities. Changes in the fair value of these securities are measured using quoted prices in active markets based on the market price per unit multiplied by the number of units held exclusive of any transaction costs. A corresponding adjustment for changes in fair value of the equity securities is also reflected in the changes in fair value of the deferred compensation obligation. Derivative Financial Instruments Nielsen primarily uses interest rate swap derivative instruments to manage the risk that changes in interest rates will affect the cash flows of its underlying debt obligations. To qualify for hedge accounting, the hedging relationship must meet several conditions with respect to documentation, probability of occurrence, hedge effectiveness and reliability of measurement. Nielsen documents the relationship between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as its risk management objective and strategy for undertaking various hedge transactions as well as the hedge effectiveness assessment, both at the hedge inception and on an ongoing basis. Nielsen recognizes all derivatives at fair value either as assets or liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets, and changes in the fair values of such instruments are recognized currently in earnings unless specific hedge accounting criteria are met. If specific cash flow hedge accounting criteria are met, Nielsen recognizes the changes in fair value of these instruments in accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss). Nielsen manages exposure to possible defaults on derivative financial instruments by monitoring the concentration of risk that Nielsen has with any individual bank and through the use of minimum credit quality standards for all counterparties. Nielsen does not require collateral or other security in relation to derivative financial instruments. A derivative contract entered into between Nielsen or certain of its subsidiaries and a counterparty that was also a lender under Nielsen’s senior secured credit facilities at the time the derivative contract was entered into is guaranteed under the senior secured credit facilities by Nielsen and certain of its subsidiaries (s ee Note 12 – Long-term Debt and Other Financing Arrangements for more information). Since it is Nielsen’s policy to only enter into derivative contracts with banks of internationally acknowledged standing, Nielsen considers the counterparty risk to be remote . It is Nielsen’s policy to have an International Swaps and Derivatives Association (“ISDA”) Master Agreement established with every bank with which it has entered into any derivative contract. Under each of these ISDA Master Agreements, Nielsen agrees to settle only the net amount of the combined market values of all derivative contracts outstanding with any one counterparty should that counterparty default. Certain of the ISDA Master Agreements contain cross-default provisions pursuant to which the Company could be declared in default on its derivative obligations if the Company either defaults in payment obligations under its credit facility or if such obligations are accelerated by the lenders. At December 31, 2021, Nielsen had no material exposure to potential economic losses due to counterparty credit default risk or cross-default risk on its derivative financial instruments. Interest Rate Risk Nielsen is exposed to cash flow interest rate risk on the floating-rate U.S. Dollar loans, and uses floating-to-fixed interest rate swaps to hedge this exposure. For these derivatives, Nielsen reports the after-tax gain or loss from the effective portion of the hedge as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) and reclassifies it into earnings in the same period or periods in which the hedged transaction affects earnings, and within the same income statement line item as the impact of the hedged transaction . The Company has $1,050 million aggregate notional amount of forward interest rate swaps outstanding as of December 31, 2021. These agreements fix the LIBOR-related portion of interest rates of a corresponding amount of the Company’s variable-rate-debt. These derivatives have been designated as interest rate cash flow hedges. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had the following U.S. Dollar term loan floating-to-fixed rate outstanding interest rate swaps designated as hedges utilized in the management of its interest rate risk: Notional Amount Maturity Date Interest Rates $ 250 July 2022 2.00 % $ 150 April 2023 2.26 % $ 250 May 2023 2.72 % $ 250 June 2023 2.07 % $ 150 July 2023 1.82 % The effect of cash flow hedge accounting on the consolidated statement of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: Interest Expense Year Ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Interest expense (Location in the consolidated statement of operations in which the effects of cash flow hedges are recorded) $ 285 $ 331 $ 348 Amount of (gain)/loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) into income, net of tax $ 18 $ 17 $ (7 ) There were no income/(loss) reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) into income as a result that a forecasted transaction is no longer probable of occurring, for all years presented. Nielsen expects to recognize approximately $17 million of net pre-tax losses from accumulated other comprehensive loss to interest expense in the next 12 months associated with its interest-related derivative financial instruments. Foreign Currency Exchange Risk During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, Nielsen recorded a net loss of $1 million and $2 million respectively, associated with foreign currency derivative financial instruments within foreign currency exchange transactions losses, net in Nielsen’s consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the notional amounts of the outstanding foreign currency derivative financial instruments were $29 million and $68 million, respectively. See Note 12 – “Long-term Debt and Other Financing Arrangements” for more information on the long-term debt transactions referenced in this note. Fair Values of Derivative Instruments in the Consolidated Balance Sheets The fair values of the Company’s derivative instruments as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 were as follows: December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments Accounts Payable and Other Current Other Non- Current Accounts Payable and Other Current Other Non- Current (IN MILLIONS) Liabilities Liabilities Liabilities Liabilities Interest rate swaps $ 4 $ 18 $ 4 $ 48 Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships The pre-tax effect of derivative instruments in effective cash flow hedging relationships for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 was as follows: Amount of (Gain)/Loss Amount of (Gain)/Loss Recognized in OCI Location of (Gain)/Loss Reclassified from OCI Derivatives in Cash Flow on Derivatives Reclassified from OCI into Income Hedging Relationships December 31, into Income December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 2021 2020 2019 Interest rate swaps $ (5 ) $ 52 $ 33 Interest expense $ 25 $ 23 $ (9 )

Restructuring Activities

Restructuring Activities	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring Activities	Note Productivity Initiatives Restructuring charges are primarily related to programs associated with Nielsen’s plans to reduce selling, general and administrative expenses, consolidate real estate locations, as well as automation initiatives . On June 30, 2020, Nielsen announced a broad-based optimization plan to drive permanent cost savings and operational efficiencies, as well as to position the Company for greater profitability and growth. The plan was substantially completed in 2020 Nielsen incurred $13 million of restructuring charges in the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily relating to real estate consolidation . A summary of the changes in the liabilities for restructuring activities is provided below: Total (IN MILLIONS) Initiatives Balance at December 31, 2018 $ 22 Reclassification of ASC 420 real estate restructuring to right-of -use asset (1) (14 ) Charges (2) 20 Non-cash charges and other adjustments 1 Payments (20 ) Balance at December 31, 2019 9 Charges (3) 30 Non-cash charges and other adjustments - Payments (25 ) Balance at December 31, 2020 14 Charges (4) - Non-cash charges and other adjustments (2 ) Payments (12 ) Balance at December 31, 2021 $ - (1) Upon adoption of ASC 842, the real estate operating lease ASC 420 liabilities were reclassified and presented as a reduction of the related operating lease right-of-use asset. (2) Excludes charges related to operating lease right-of-use assets of $10 million. (3) Excludes charges related to operating lease right-of-use assets of $7 million. Includes $7 million of adjustments related to changes in a plan to exit a business. (4) Excludes charges related to operating lease right-of-use assets of $13 million

Pensions and Other Post-Retirem

Pensions and Other Post-Retirement Benefits	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Pensions and Other Post-Retirement Benefits	Note Nielsen sponsors both funded and unfunded defined benefit pension plans (the “Pension Plans”) and post-retirement medical plans for some if its employees in the U.S. and other international locations. Pension costs, in respect of defined benefit pension plans, primarily represent the increase in the actuarial present value of the obligation for pension benefits based on employee service during the year and the interest on this obligation in respect of employee service in previous years, net of the expected return on plan assets. Differences between this expected return and the actual return on these plan assets and actuarial changes are not recognized in the statement of operations, unless the accumulated differences and changes exceed a certain threshold. Nielsen recognizes obligations for contributions to defined contribution pension plans as expenses in the statement of operations as they are incurred. The determination of benefit obligations and expenses is based on actuarial models. In order to measure benefit costs and obligations using these models, critical assumptions are made with regard to the discount rate, the expected return on plan assets and the assumed rate of compensation increases. Nielsen provides retiree medical benefits to a limited number of participants in the U.S. Therefore, retiree medical care cost trend rates are not a significant driver of our post retirement costs. Management reviews these critical assumptions at least annually. Other assumptions involve demographic factors such as turnover, retirement and mortality rates. Management reviews these assumptions periodically and updates them as necessary. The discount rate is the rate at which the benefit obligations could be effectively settled. For Nielsen’s U.S. plans, the discount rate is based on a bond portfolio that includes only long-term bonds with an Aa rating, or equivalent, from a major rating agency. For the non-U.S. plans, the discount rate is set by reference to market yields on high-quality corporate bonds. Nielsen believes the timing and amount of cash flows related to the bonds in these portfolios are expected to match the estimated payment benefit streams of our plans. The Company uses the spot rate approach to calculate the discount rate for its retirement benefit plans. Under the spot-rate approach, the Company uses individual spot rates along the yield curve that correspond with the timing of each future cash outflow for benefit payments in order to calculate interest cost and service cost within net periodic benefit costs. To determine the expected long-term rate of return on pension plan assets, Nielsen considers, for each country, the structure of the asset portfolio and the expected rates of return for each of the components. For Nielsen’s U.S. plans, a 50 basis point decrease in the expected return on assets would increase pension expense on our principal plans by approximately $1 million per year. During 2019, certain of the Company’s pension plans contracted with insurance companies and transferred $53 million of outstanding defined benefit pension obligations and related pension assets for approximately 125 retirees and beneficiaries in the UK to the insurance companies. The insurance companies are now required to pay and administer the retirement benefits owed to these retirees and beneficiaries. These transactions have no impact on the amount, timing, or form of the monthly retirement benefit payments to the covered retirees and beneficiaries. These transactions resulted in a non-cash charge to other income/expense of $6 million in our consolidated statements of operations and did not impact cash flows in 2019 . The actuarial gains on the benefit obligation during 2021 were approximately $19 million. This consists of a $20 million gain due to changes in financial assumptions, with the primary driver being an increase in discount rates in most countries. This gain was partially offset by a loss of $1 million related to changes in mortality tables. A summary of the activity for the Pension Plans follows: Year Ended December 31, 2021 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Change in projected benefit obligation Benefit obligation at beginning of period $ 419 $ 37 $ 456 Service cost — 3 3 Interest cost 7 1 8 Plan participants’ contributions — 1 1 Actuarial (gain)/loss (16 ) (3 ) (19 ) Benefits paid (14 ) (1 ) (15 ) Settlements — (1 ) (1 ) Effect of foreign currency translation — (1 ) (1 ) Benefit obligation at end of period 396 36 432 Change in plan assets Fair value of plan assets at beginning of period 305 18 323 Actual return on plan assets 23 — 23 Employer contributions 11 3 14 Plan participants’ contributions — 1 1 Benefits paid (14 ) (1 ) (15 ) Settlements — (1 ) (1 ) Fair value of plan assets at end of period 325 20 345 Funded status $ (71 ) $ (16 ) $ (87 ) Amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets Current liabilities (1 ) — (1 ) Accrued benefit liability included in other non-current liabilities (70 ) (16 ) (86 ) Net amount recognized $ (71 ) $ (16 ) $ (87 ) Amounts recognized in Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax Net (gain)/loss $ (23 ) $ (2 ) $ (25 ) Settlement loss — — — Amortization of net loss (13 ) (1 ) (14 ) Total recognized in other comprehensive (income)/loss $ (36 ) $ (3 ) $ (39) Amounts not yet reflected in net periodic benefit cost and included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax Unrecognized losses $ 99 $ 7 $ 106 Year Ended December 31, 2020 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Change in projected benefit obligation Benefit obligation at beginning of period $ 378 $ 2 $ 380 Service cost — 3 3 Interest cost 11 1 12 Actuarial (gain)/loss 46 4 50 Benefits paid (16 ) — (16 ) Settlements — (1 ) (1 ) Other — 26 26 Effect of foreign currency translation — 2 2 Benefit obligation at end of period 419 37 456 Change in plan assets Fair value of plan assets at beginning of period 270 1 271 Actual return on plan assets 40 1 41 Employer contributions 11 2 13 Benefits paid (16 ) — (16 ) Settlements — (1 ) (1 ) Other — 15 15 Fair value of plan assets at end of period 305 18 323 Funded status $ (114 ) $ (19 ) $ (133 ) Amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets Accrued benefit liability included in other non-current liabilities (114 ) (19 ) (133 ) Net amount recognized $ (114 ) $ (19 ) $ (133 ) Amounts recognized in Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax Net (gain)/loss $ 23 $ 4 $ 27 Settlement loss — (1 ) (1 ) Amortization of net loss (11 ) 1 (10 ) Total recognized in other comprehensive (income)/loss $ 12 $ 4 $ 16 Amounts not yet reflected in net periodic benefit cost and included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax Unrecognized losses $ 135 $ 5 $ 140 The total accumulated benefit obligation and minimum liability changes for the Pension Plans were as follows: Year Ended Year Ended Year Ended December 31, December 31, December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Accumulated benefit obligation. $ 425 $ 450 $ 380 Pension Plans with Accumulated Benefit Obligation in Excess of Plan Assets at December 31, 2021 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Accumulated benefit obligation $ 396 $ 24 $ 420 Fair value of plan assets 325 13 338 Pension Plans with Projected Benefit Obligation in Excess of Plan Assets at December 31, 2021 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Projected benefit obligation $ 396 $ 35 $ 431 Fair value of plan assets 325 19 344 Pension Plans with Accumulated Benefit Obligation in Excess of Plan Assets at December 31, 2020 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Accumulated benefit obligation $ 419 $ 24 $ 443 Fair value of plan assets 305 12 317 Pension Plans with Projected Benefit Obligation in Excess of Plan Assets at December 31, 2020 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Projected benefit obligation $ 419 $ 36 $ 455 Fair value of plan assets 305 17 322 Net periodic benefit costs for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, includes the following components: United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Year ended December 31, 2021 Service cost $ — $ 3 $ 3 Interest cost 7 1 8 Expected return on plan assets (15 ) (2 ) (17 ) Amortization of net loss 13 1 14 Net periodic pension cost $ 5 $ 3 $ 8 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Year ended December 31, 2020 Service cost $ — $ 3 $ 3 Interest cost 11 1 12 Expected return on plan assets (17 ) — (17 ) Amortization of net loss 11 — 11 Net periodic pension cost $ 5 $ 4 $ 9 Net periodic benefit cost for the year ended December 31, 2019 includes the following components: United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Year ended December 31, 2019 Interest cost 14 — 14 Expected return on plan assets (17 ) — (17 ) Settlement loss recognized — 6 6 Amortization of net loss 6 — 6 Net periodic pension cost $ 3 $ 6 $ 9 The non-cash settlement loss of $6 million in 2019 resulted from the transfer of defined benefit pension obligations and related assets in the UK to insurance companies which relieved Nielsen of its obligations related to the plans. Actuarial gains and losses are amortized over the average remaining service lives for plans with active participants, and over the average remaining lives for legacy plans with no active participants. The weighted average assumptions underlying the pension computations were as follows: Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 US Other US Other NL US Other Pension benefit obligation: —discount rate 2.9 % 2.0 % 2.5 % 1.5 % 1.9 % 3.4 % 1.9 % —rate of compensation increase — 3.2 % — 1.3 % 1.1 % — 1.1 % Net periodic pension costs: —discount rate 2.9 % 1.5 % 3.4 % 1.8 % 2.5 % 4.4 % 2.5 % —rate of compensation increase — 3.1 % — 1.0 % 1.1 % — 1.1 % —expected long-term return on plan assets 6.0 % 3.7 % 6.5 % 3.9 % 4.2 % 6.7 % 4.2 % The assumptions for the expected return on plan assets for the Pension Plans were based on a review of the historical returns of the asset classes in which the assets of the Pension Plans are invested and long-term economic forecast for the type of investments held by the plans. The historical returns on these asset classes were weighted based on the expected long-term allocation of the assets of the Pension Plans. Nielsen’s pension plans’ weighted average asset allocations by asset category are as follows: United States Other Total At December 31, 2021 Equity securities 55 % 23 % 53 % Fixed income securities 45 28 44 Other — 49 3 Total 100 % 100 % 100 % United States Other Total At December 31, 2020 Equity securities 57 % 16 % 55 % Fixed income securities 43 21 41 Other — 63 4 Total 100 % 100 % 100 % No Nielsen shares are held by the Pension Plans. Nielsen’s primary objective with regard to the investment of the Pension Plans’ assets is to ensure that in each individual plan, sufficient funds are available to satisfy future benefit obligations. For this purpose, asset and liability management studies are made periodically at each pension fund. For each of the Pension Plans, an appropriate mix is determined on the basis of the outcome of these studies, taking into account the national rules and regulations. The overall target asset allocation among all plans for 2021 was 53% equity securities and 44% long-term interest-earning investments (debt or fixed income securities), and 3% other investments. Equity securities primarily include investments in U.S. and non U.S. companies. Fixed income securities include corporate bonds of companies from diversified industries and mortgage-backed securities. Real estate contracts are categorized as level 3 and are valued based on contractual terms. Assets at fair value (See Note 9 – “Fair Value Measurements” for additional information on fair value measurement and the underlying fair value hierarchy) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 are as follows: (IN MILLIONS) December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Asset Category Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash and equivalents $ 6 $ — $ — $ 6 $ 7 $ — $ — $ 7 Equity securities – U.S. 70 2 — 72 70 7 — 77 Equity securities – Global. 12 37 — 49 12 32 — 44 Equity securities – non-U.S. — 60 — 60 — 55 — 55 Real estate — 2 1 3 — 2 2 4 Corporate bonds 127 24 — 151 114 20 — 134 Debt issued by national, state or local government 1 — — 1 — — — — Other — 3 — 3 — 2 — 2 Total assets at fair value at December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 $ 216 $ 128 $ 1 $ 345 $ 203 $ 118 $ 2 $ 323 The following is a summary of changes in the fair value of the Pension Plans’ Level 3 assets for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020: (IN MILLIONS) Real Estate Balance, end of year December 31, 2019 $ 1 Actual return on plan assets: Effect of foreign currency translation 1 Balance, end of year December 31, 2020 $ 2 Actual return on plan assets: Effect of foreign currency translation (1 ) Balance, end of year December 31, 2021 $ 1 Real estate investment valuations require significant judgment due to the absence of quoted market prices, the inherent lack of liquidity and the long-term nature of such assets. These assets are initially valued at cost and are reviewed periodically utilizing available and relevant market data to determine if the carrying value of these assets should be adjusted. The valuation methodology is applied consistently from period to period. Contributions to the Pension Plans in 2022 are expected to be approximately $10 million for the U.S. plan and $3 million for other plans. Estimated future benefit payments are as follows: United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total For the years ending December 31, 2022 $ 17 $ 2 $ 19 2023 19 2 21 2024 19 2 21 2025 19 2 21 2026 20 2 22 2027-2031 104 13 117 Defined Contribution Plans Nielsen also offers defined contribution plans to certain participants, primarily in the U.S. Nielsen’s expense related to these plans was $26 million, $22 million and $33 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. In the U.S., Nielsen contributes cash to each employee’s account in an amount up to 3% of compensation (subject to IRS limitations). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the defined contribution company matching was suspended in the U.S. effective May 9, 2020 through December 31, 2020, resulting in a reduction in the expense related to such plans. No contributions are made in shares of the Company’s common stock.

Long-term Debt and Other Financ

Long-term Debt and Other Financing Arrangements	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long-term Debt and Other Financing Arrangements	12. Long-term Debt and Other Financing Arrangements Unless otherwise stated, interest rates are as of December 31, 2021. December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Weighted Weighted (IN MILLIONS) Carrying Interest Fair Carrying Interest Fair Senior secured term loans Amount Rate Value Value Rate Value Maturing in 2023, L+ 1.75% $ 742 $ 742 $ 754 $ 752 Maturing in 2023, L+ 2.00% 1,351 1,352 1,603 1,602 Maturing in 2023, Euro L+ 2.50% — — 251 250 Maturing in 2025, Euro L+ 3.75% — — 639 654 Maturing in 2025, L+ 4.75% — — 419 434 Maturing in 2023 $850 revolving credit facility (L+ 1.75%) — — — — Total (with weighted-average interest rate) 2,093 2.10 % 2,094 3,666 3.01 % 3,692 Senior debenture loans $425 maturing in 2021, 5.500% — — 150 151 $825 maturing in 2022, 5.000% — — 824 828 $500 maturing in 2025, 5.000% 498 507 498 514 $1,000 maturing in 2028, 5.625% 987 1,031 985 1,088 $750 maturing in 2030, 5.875% 740 785 739 846 $625 maturing in 2029, 4.500% 616 613 — — $625 maturing in 2031, 4.750% 616 616 — — Total (with weighted-average interest rate) 3,457 5.52 % 3,552 3,196 5.69 % 3,427 Total long-term debt 5,550 4.24 % 5,646 6,862 4.26 % 7,119 Finance lease and other financing obligations 76 98 Total debt and other financing arrangements 5,626 6,960 Less: Current portion of long-term debt, finance lease and other financing obligations and other short-term borrowings 35 276 Non-current portion of long-term debt and finance lease and other financing obligations $ 5,591 $ 6,684 The fair value of the Company’s long-term debt instruments was based on the yield on public debt where available or current borrowing rates available for financings with similar terms and maturities and such fair value measurements are considered Level 1or Level 2 in nature, respectively. The carrying value of Nielsen’s long-term debt are denominated in the following currencies: December 31, December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 U.S. Dollars $ 5,550 $ 5,972 Euro — 890 $ 5,550 $ 6,862 Annual maturities of Nielsen’s long-term debt are as follows: (IN MILLIONS) 2022 $ — 2023 $ 2,093 2024 $ — 2025 $ 498 2026 $ — Thereafter $ 2,959 $ 5,550 On March 16, 2021, primarily utilizing the proceeds from the Connect Transaction, Nielsen wrote-off certain previously deferred financing fees of $7.5 million associated with the redemptions during the period ended March 31, 2021, which was included within net income/(loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax. The redemption of the 2022 Notes resulted in a pre-tax charge of $1 million in the second quarter of 2021, which was included within other expense, net, in the consolidated statement of operations On May 28, 2021, Nielsen Finance LLC and Nielsen Finance Co., each an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Nielsen, issued $625 Nielsen capitalized $19 million of fees in connection with the refinancing. Nielsen applied the net proceeds of the offering plus cash on hand to prepay the approximately $430 million €530 million senior secured euro term loans which were both due 2025 and the approximately €204 million aggregate outstanding principal amount of senior secured euro term loans due 2023 Nielsen wrote-off certain previously deferred financing fees of $20 million in connection with the May 2021 prepayments In connection with the prepayment of the senior secured dollar and euro term loans due 2025, Nielsen terminated the Credit Agreement dated June 4, 2020, as amended on July 21, 2020, and all commitments thereunder. During the fourth quarter of 2021, Nielsen utilized cash on hand to partially prepay approximately $250 millionof senior secured dollar term loans due 2023 Nielsen wrote-off certain previously deferred financing fees of $0.4 million in connection with the prepayments made during the fourth quarter of 2021. For the years ended December 31, interest expense, net, includes zero, $2 million and $6 million, respectively, of interest income in our consolidated statement of operations. The indentures governing the senior notes limit the majority of Nielsen’s subsidiaries’ ability to use assets as security in other transactions and sell certain assets or merge with or into other companies subject to certain exceptions. Upon a change in control, Nielsen is required under each indenture to make an offer to redeem all of the Senior Notes issued pursuant to such indenture at a redemption price equal to the 101% of the aggregate principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest. The Senior Notes are jointly and severally guaranteed by Nielsen, substantially all of the wholly owned material U.S. subsidiaries of Nielsen and certain of the non-U.S. wholly-owned subsidiaries of Nielsen. Covenants As of December 31, 2021, Nielsen was in full compliance with the financial covenant described below. Nielsen’s Sixth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, date July 21, 2020 (the “Amended Credit Agreement”) contains a number of covenants that, among other things, restrict, subject to certain exceptions, the ability of Nielsen Holding and Finance B.V. and its restricted subsidiaries (which together constitute most of our subsidiaries) to incur additional indebtedness or guarantees, incur liens and engage in sale and leaseback transactions, make certain loans and investments, declare dividends, make payments or redeem or repurchase capital stock, engage in certain mergers, acquisitions and other business combinations, prepay, redeem or purchase certain indebtedness, amend or otherwise alter terms of certain indebtedness, sell certain assets, transact with affiliates, enter into agreements limiting subsidiary distributions and alter the business they conduct. These entities are restricted, subject to certain exceptions, in their ability to transfer their net assets to Nielsen. Such restricted net assets amounted to approximately $1.3 billion at December 31, 2021. The Amended Credit Agreement contains a total leverage covenant that requires the Covenant Parties (as defined in the Amended Credit Agreement) maintain a ratio of Consolidated Total Net Debt (as defined in the Amended Credit Agreement) to Consolidated EBITDA (as defined in the Amended Credit Agreement) at or below 5.50 to 1.00, measured at the end of each calendar quarter for the four quarters most recently ended. Neither Nielsen nor TNC B.V. is currently bound by any financial or negative covenants contained in the Amended Credit Agreement. The Amended Credit Agreement also contain s certain customary affirmative covenants and events of default. Certain significant financial covenants are described further below. Failure to comply with the financial covenant described above would result in an event of default under our Amended Credit Amended Credit Pursuant to the terms of Nielsen’s Amended Credit Agreement, Nielsen is subject to making mandatory prepayments on the term loans outstanding thereunder to the extent in any full calendar year Nielsen generates Excess Cash Flow (“ECF”), as defined in the Amended Credit Agreement. The percentage of ECF that must be applied as a repayment under either the Amended Credit Agreement . Revolving Credit Facility The Amended Credit Agreement contains a senior secured revolving credit facility with aggregate revolving credit commitments of $850 million and a final maturity of July 2023 under which Nielsen Finance LLC, TNC (US) Holdings, Inc., and Nielsen Holding and Finance B.V. can borrow revolving loans. The revolving credit facility can also be used for letters of credit, guarantees and swingline loans. The senior secured revolving credit facility is provided under the Amended Credit Agreement and so contains covenants and restrictions as noted above with respect to the Amended Credit Agreement. Obligations under the revolving credit facility are guaranteed by the same entities that guarantee obligations under the Amended Credit Agreement. As of December 31, 2021, Nielsen had zero borrowings outstanding and outstanding letters of credit of $13 million. As of December 31, 2020, Nielsen had zero borrowings outstanding and outstanding letters of credit of $18 million. As of December 31, 2021, Nielsen had $837 million available for borrowing under the revolving credit facility. Debt-Issuance Costs The costs related to the issuance of debt are presented as a deduction from the corresponding debt liability and amortized to interest expense using the effective interest method over the life of the related debt. Finance Lease and Other Obligations Nielsen finances certain computer equipment, software, buildings and automobiles under finance leases and related transactions. These arrangements do not include terms of renewal, purchase options, or escalation clauses. Assets under finance lease are recorded within property, plant and equipment. See Note 8 “Property, Plant and Equipment.” Liabilities under finance leases are recorded within long-term debt and other financing obligations above. See Note 5 “Leases” for more information on finance leases and other financing obligations referenced in this note.

Shareholders' Equity

Shareholders' Equity	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Equity [Abstract]
Shareholders' Equity	Note 13. Shareholders’ Equity Common stock activity is as follows: Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Actual number of shares of common stock outstanding Beginning of period 357,644,935 356,149,883 355,271,737 Shares of common stock issued through compensation plans 1,589,317 1,519,384 835,057 Employee benefit trust activity 33,283 (24,332 ) 43,089 End of period 359,267,535 357,644,935 356,149,883 Dividends and Share Repurchase On January 31, 2013, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) adopted a cash dividend policy to pay quarterly cash dividends on its outstanding common stock $86 . On February 10, 2022, the Board declared a cash dividend of $0.06 per share on Nielsen’s common stock. The dividend is payable on March 17, 2022 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 3, 2022. On February 26, 2022, Nielsen’s Board authorized the repurchase of up to $1 billion of the Company’s ordinary shares. The Board authorization may be suspended, modified or terminated at any time without prior notice subject to compliance with applicable laws and regulation. This share repurchase authorization replaces all previous authorizations. There were no share repurchases in 2021 or 2020. The timing of any repurchases will depend on a number of factors, including constraints specified in any Rule 10b5-1 trading, price, general business and market conditions, and alternative investment opportunities. This authorization has been executed within the limitations of the authority granted to Nielsen at its annual shareholders meeting held on May 25, 2021 (the "Authority") such authority to remain in place until the end of the 2022 annual shareholders meeting, or close of business on August 25, 2022, whichever is earlier. Pursuant to the Authority, the Company may only repurchase ordinary shares in accordance with procedures for "off-market" purchases under the UK Companies Act (the "Act") and, in order to be compliant with the Act, share repurchases can only be made pursuant to the terms of one or more share repurchase agreements entered into in either of the forms approved, and with counterparties that have also been approved, by shareholders at the 2021 annual shareholders meeting. Two forms of share repurchase contracts were approved by shareholders. The first provides that the counterparty will purchase shares on the New York Stock Exchange at such prices and in such quantities as the Company may instruct from time to time, subject to the limitations set forth in Rule 10b-18 of the Exchange Act, as amended. The second form of agreement provides that the amount of shares to be purchased each day, the limit price and the total amount that may be purchased under the agreement will be determined at the time the agreement is executed. Both agreements provide that the counterparty will purchase the ordinary shares as principal and sell any ordinary shares purchased to the Company in record form. Any such shares repurchased by the Company pursuant to either form of contract will be cancelled.

Share-Based Compensation

Share-Based Compensation	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Share-Based Compensation	Note 14. Share-based Compensation Nielsen measures the cost of all share-based payments, including stock options, at fair value on the grant date and recognizes such costs within the consolidated statements of operations. Nielsen recognizes the expense of its options that cliff vest using the straight-line method. For those that vest over time, an accelerated graded vesting is used. The Company recorded $36 million, $34 million and $32 million of expense associated with share-based compensation for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The tax benefit related to the share-based compensation expense was $6 million, $5 million and $5 million for each of the respective periods. Nielsen has an equity-based, management compensation plan (“Equity Participation Plan” or “EPP”) to align compensation for certain key executives with the performance of the Company. Under this plan, certain of the Company’s executives may be granted stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and dividend equivalent rights in the shares of the Company or purchase its shares. In 2019, the Company replaced the Amended and Restated Nielsen 2010 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Prior Plan”) with the Nielsen 2019 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Stock Incentive Plan”). The Stock Incentive Plan is the source of new equity-based awards permitting the Company to grant to its key employees, directors and other service providers the following types of awards: incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, RSUs and other awards valued in whole or in part by reference to shares of Nielsen’s common stock and performance-based awards denominated in shares or cash. As of December 31, 2021, the total number of shares authorized for award of options or other equity-based awards was 10,420,826 under the Stock Incentive Plan. This includes the 7,200,000 newly authorized shares under the Stock Incentive Plan and the 3,220,826 shares reserved for issuance from the Prior Plan. Nielsen’s stock option plan activity is summarized below (the aggregate intrinsic share value outstanding was zero for all periods presented): Number of Options Weighted-Average Weighted- Stock Option Plan activity Outstanding at December 31, 2018 4,631,836 $ 43.20 3.66 Granted — — Forfeited (662,732 ) 46.31 Expired options (445,760 ) 28.09 Exercised (9,027 ) 17.44 Outstanding at December 31, 2019 3,514,317 $ 44.60 3.15 Granted — — Forfeited (160,668 ) 48.74 Expired options (463,507 ) 35.00 Exercised — — Outstanding at December 31, 2020 2,890,142 $ 45.91 2.55 Granted — — Forfeited (535,798 ) 51.52 Expired options (735,625 ) 41.92 Exercised — — Exercisable and outstanding at December 31, 2021 1,618,719 $ 45.87 2.51 During the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, there were no time-based only options granted and the aggregate fair value of options vested was $1 million, $3 million and $5 million, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 there were no time-based options exercised. The intrinsic value of the options exercised during the year ended December 31, 2019 was insignificant. Under the Nielsen Stock Incentive Plan, Nielsen granted 1,365,411 and 200,000 time and performance based stock options to purchase shares during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. There were no time and performance based stock options granted during the year ended December 31, 2019. The weighted average grant date fair value of the awards in 2021 and 2020 were $7.69 and $3.56. The performance aspect of the award is achieved based on the performance of Nielsen’s stock price. If the performance obligations are satisfied, the award will become exercisable on the fourth anniversary date of the award, and are tied to the executives’ continuing employment. As of December 31, 2021, there was approximately $6 million of unearned share-based compensation related to performance stock options (net of estimated forfeitures) which the Company expects to record as share-based compensation over the next four years. The fair values of the granted time and performance based awards during 2021 and 2020 were estimated using the Monte Carlo simulation model with the expected volatility based on the Company’s historical volatility. For the year ended December 31, 2019, there were no time and performance-based stock options issued. The following assumptions were used for grants of time and performance based awards: Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 Expected life (years) 5.00 5.00 Risk-free interest rate 0.89 % 0.49-1.34 % Expected dividend yield 0.92 % 1.16-1.62 % Expected volatility 37.06 % 28.99-31.40 % Weighted average volatility 37.06 % 30.20 % Activity of Nielsen’s RSUs that are ultimately payable in shares of common stock granted under the Stock Incentive Plan is summarized below: Number of Weighted-Average Fair Value RSU activity Nonvested at December 31, 2018 3,865,684 $ 29.88 Granted 2,454,871 21.46 Forfeited (692,718 ) 28.63 Vested (986,852 ) 33.60 Nonvested at December 31, 2019 4,640,985 $ 25.10 Granted 2,153,198 17.14 Forfeited (496,497 ) 22.59 Vested (2,025,318 ) 26.38 Nonvested at December 31, 2020 4,272,368 $ 20.86 Granted 1,198,743 25.68 Forfeited (1,150,836 ) 20.09 Vested (2,135,117 ) 22.70 Nonvested at December 31, 2021 2,185,157 $ 22.02 The majority of the awards granted in 2021, 2020 and 2019 will vest at a rate of 6.25% per quarter over four years. Other 2021 awards will vest at one of the following rates: 8.33% per quarter over three years, 50% per year over two years on the anniversary date of the award, or 25% per year over four years on the anniversary date of the award. Other 2020 awards will vest at one of the following rates: 25% on the first anniversary date of the award/75% on the second anniversary date of the award, 100% on the second anniversary date of the award, 100% on the third anniversary of the award, 50% per year over two years on the anniversary date of the award, or 25% per year over four years on the anniversary date of the award. The other 2019 awards will vest at one of the following rates: 25% on the first anniversary date of the award/75% on the second anniversary date of the award, 100% on the second anniversary date of the award, 12.5% per quarter over two years, or 25% per year over four years on the anniversary date of the award. As of December 31, 2021, there was approximately $17 million of unearned share-based compensation related to unvested RSUs (net of estimated forfeitures) which the Company expects to record as stock-based compensation expense over a weighted average period of 2.7 years. During the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the Company granted 740,462, 724,814 and 523,508 performance restricted stock units (“PRSUs”), representing the target number of performance restricted stock subject to the award. The weighted average grant date fair value of the awards in 2021, 2020 and 2019 were $28.65, $16.08 and $24.62 per share. For the PRSUs granted in 2021, the majority of PRSUs to be earned is subject to achievement of performance goals for the three year period ending December 31, 2023. For the PRSUs granted in 2020, the total number of PRSUs to be earned is subject to achievement of performance goals for the period ending December 31, 2020. For the PRSUs granted in 2019, the total number of PRSUs to be earned is subject to achievement of cumulative performance goals for the two year period ending December 31, 2020. For the 2021 award, fifty percent of the target award was determined based on the Company’s average organic revenue growth rate and fifty percent of the award was determined based on cumulative free cash flow/EBITDA conversion. For the 2020 award, fifty percent of the target award was determined based on the Company’s revenue target and fifty percent of the award was determined based on adjusted earnings per share achievements. The Company’s revenue target was not achieved and fifty percent of the adjusted earnings per share targets were achieved. For the 2019 award, fifty percent of the target award was determined based on the Company’s revenue compounded annual growth rate achievements and fifty percent of the award was determined based on adjusted earnings per share achievements. The Company’s revenue compounded annual growth rate target was not achieved and the adjusted earnings per share targets was achieved. There is a relative total shareholder return modifier that can increase or decrease the payout. The fair value of the target awards related to relative shareholder return was based on the Monte Carlo model. In 2016, the Company implemented the Nielsen Holdings plc 2016 Employee Share Purchase Plan (the ESPP) and 2,000,000 shares were authorized for issuance under the ESPP. There were 60,634, 266,984 and 201,637 shares issued under the ESPP in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Note Nielsen provides for income taxes utilizing the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, deferred income taxes are recorded to reflect the tax consequences in future years of differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their financial reporting amounts at each balance sheet date, based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. If it is determined that it is more likely than not that future tax benefits associated with a deferred tax asset will not be realized, a valuation allowance is provided. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in the tax rates is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations as an adjustment to income tax expense in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company records a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. Such tax positions are, based solely on their technical merits, more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities and reflect the largest amount of benefit, determined on a cumulative probability basis that is more likely than not to be realized upon settlement with the applicable taxing authority with full knowledge of all relevant information. The Company recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. Throughout 2021, 2020, and 2019, ongoing federal and international audits were effectively settled in certain tax jurisdictions and the impact was recorded in the financial statements. The components of income/(loss) before income taxes and equity in net income of affiliates, were: Year Ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 UK $ 547 $ (21 ) $ (30 ) Non-UK 11 368 468 Income/(loss) before income taxes and equity in net income/(loss) of affiliates $ 558 $ 347 $ 438 The above amounts for UK and non-UK activities were determined based on the location of the taxing authorities. The provision for income taxes attributable to the income/(loss) before income taxes and equity in net income/(loss) of affiliates consisted of: Year Ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Current: UK $ — $ — $ — Non-UK . 114 133 (128 ) 114 133 (128 ) Deferred: UK 2 21 (2 ) Non-UK (118 ) (10 ) (11 ) (116 ) 11 (13 ) Total $ (2 ) $ 144 $ (141 ) The Company’s provision for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 was different from the amount computed by applying the statutory UK federal income tax rates to the underlying income/(loss) before income taxes and equity in net income/(loss) of affiliates as a result of the following: Year Ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Income before income taxes and equity in net income of affiliates $ 558 $ 347 $ 438 UK statutory tax rate 19.00 % 19.00 % 19.00 % Provision for income taxes at the UK statutory Rate $ 106 $ 66 $ 83 Effect of operations in non-UK jurisdictions 17 (4 ) 18 Tax impact of global licensing arrangements — (4 ) (4 ) U.S. state and local taxation 23 23 28 Base erosion and anti-abuse tax — 4 49 Withholding and other taxation — 18 8 Effect of global financing activities 4 2 (7 ) Changes in estimates for uncertain tax positions and audit settlements (1) (10 ) 4 (266 ) Changes in valuation allowances (91 ) 8 (104 ) Effect of change in deferred tax rates (11 ) 5 46 Tax impact of post-retirement settlements — — 17 Research & development credit ) (5) (4 ) Excess tax benefits on prior period employee compensation (11 ) — — Reversal of prior period outside basis differences (17 ) — — Other, net (3 ) 27 (5 ) Total (benefit)/provision for income taxes $ (2 ) $ 144 $ (141 ) Effective tax rate (0.4 )% 41.5 % (32.2. )% (1) The $266 million benefit for 2019 is primarily the result of settlement of the 2015 US tax audit and the lapsing of statutes of limitations for years prior. The components of current and non-current deferred income tax assets/(liabilities) were: December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 Deferred tax assets: Net operating loss carryforwards $ 733 $ 354 Capital loss carryforwards 99 55 Interest expense limitation 253 265 Employee benefits 28 36 Tax credit carryforwards 109 191 Share-based payments 5 10 Accrued expenses 4 19 Lease liabilities 49 79 Deferred (revenues)/costs 5 — Deferred compensation 23 — Financial instruments 9 18 Other assets 34 34 1,351 1,061 Valuation allowances (494 ) (560 ) Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowances 857 501 Deferred tax liabilities: Intangible assets (767 ) (912 ) Fixed asset and computer software depreciation (92 ) (209 ) Lease assets (39 ) (59 ) Outside basis difference in subsidiary (406 ) — Unremitted earnings — (8 ) Unrealized gain on investments — (50 ) Deferred (revenues)/costs — (7 ) Deferred compensation — (4 ) Other liabilities (59 ) (87 ) (1,363 ) (1,336 ) Net deferred tax liability $ (506 ) $ (835 ) Realization of deferred tax assets is based, in part, on Nielsen’s judgment and various factors including reversal of deferred tax liabilities, Nielsen’s ability to generate future taxable income in jurisdictions where such assets have arisen and potential tax planning strategies. Valuation allowances are recorded in order to reduce the deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized in the future. At December 31, 2021 and 2020 the Company had net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $3,018 million and $1,485 million, respectively, which began to expire in 2021 and begin to expire in 2022 respectively. In addition, the Company had tax credit carryforwards of approximately $109 million and $191 million at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, which begin to expire in 2022. In certain jurisdictions, the Company has operating losses and other tax attributes that, due to the uncertainty of achieving sufficient profits to utilize these operating loss carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards, the Company currently believes it is more likely than not that a portion of these losses will not be realized. Therefore, the Company had a valuation allowance of approximately $494 million and $560 million at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, related to net operating loss carryforwards, tax credit carryforwards and deferred tax assets related to other temporary differences. With respect to the outside basis differences of “domestic” subsidiaries, in each taxing jurisdiction where a tiered ownership structure exists, the Company has confirmed that one or more viable tax planning strategies exists in each separate taxing jurisdiction that it could, and would - if required - employ to eliminate any income tax liability on such outside basis differences, with the exception of certain Luxembourg entities. The Company is planning to continue operations in Luxembourg, and therefore the Company do es not have the ability to avoid potential recapture of the tax benefits cla imed for the tax write-down of Nielsen’s investments. As such, Nielsen has established deferred tax liabilities for the outsid e basis differences related to its investments. In addi tion, resulting from the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act , the C ompany no longer asserts that all foreign undistributed earnings will be permanen tly reinvested, but rather the C ompany will, over time, remit up foreign earnings and has provisioned for withholding taxes related to those earnings. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had gross uncertain tax positions of $161 million and $128 million, respectively. The Company has also accrued interest and penalties associated with these unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 of $7 million and $11 million, respectively. Estimated interest and penalties related to the underpayment of income taxes is classified as a component of benefit/(provision) for income taxes in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. It is reasonably possible that a reduction in a range of $131 million to $139 million of uncertain tax positions may occur within the next twelve months, and of this amount, approximately $1 million to $9 would result in a tax benefit for income taxes as a result of projected resolutions of worldwide tax disputes, filed tax returns, and expirations of statute of limitations in various jurisdictions, along with related interest and penalties. Furthermore, the amounts ultimately paid may differ from the amounts accrued. A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of gross uncertain tax positions is as follows: December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Balance as of the beginning of period $ 128 $ 136 $ 374 Additions for current year tax positions 1 1 2 Additions for tax positions of prior years 41 — 12 Reductions for lapses of statute of limitations (4 ) (1 ) (252 ) Reductions for tax positions of prior years (5 ) (8 ) — Balance as of the end of the period $ 161 $ 128 $ 136 If the balance of the Company’s uncertain tax positions is sustained by the taxing authorities in the Company’s favor, the Company’s effective tax rate would be reduced in future periods by $21 million. The Company files numerous consolidated and separate income tax returns in the U.S. Federal jurisdiction and in many state and foreign jurisdictions. The Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal tax examination for periods prior to 2017. The tax positions and related attributes from 2017 onward are open to examination. In addition, the Company has subsidiaries in various states, provinces and countries that are currently under audit for years ranging from 2011 through 2021, and the tax positions and related attributes in those particular years are also open to examination.

Investments in Affiliates and R

Investments in Affiliates and Related Party Transactions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Investments In And Advances To Affiliates Schedule Of Investments [Abstract]
Investments in Affiliates and Related Party Transactions	Note 16. Investments in Affiliates and Related Party Transactions Related Party Transactions with Affiliates Nielsen had investments in affiliates of $5 million and $11 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Obligations between Nielsen and its affiliates are regularly settled in cash in the ordinary course of business. Nielsen had net receivables from its affiliates of approximately zero and $2 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Note 17. Commitments and Contingencies In July 2019, Nielsen amended its Second Amended and Restated Master Services Agreement (the “MSA”), dated as of October 1, 2017 and effective as of January 1, 2017 (the “Effective Date”), with Tata America International Corporation and Tata Consultancy Services Limited (jointly, “TCS”) by executing Amendment Number One (the “Amendment”) with TCS, dated as of July 1, 2019 and effective as of January 1, 2019 (the “Amendment Effective Date”). The Amendment reduced the amount of services Nielsen committed to purchase from TCS from the Amendment Effective Date through the remaining term of the MSA (the “Minimum Commitment”) to $1.4 billion, including a commitment to purchase at least $184 million in services per year from 2021 through 2024, and $138 million in services in 2025 (in each of the foregoing cases, the “Annual Commitment”). As of December 31, 2020, the aggregate TCS commitment was approximately $ 875 million. In September 2021, it was agreed with TCS that Nielsen’s remaining Minimum Commitment, after giving effect to the sale of Global Connect, was $ 90 million (“Remaining Minimum Commitment”). It was also agreed that the remaining Annual Commitment for services would be $ 45 million in 2021 and $ 17 million per year from 2022 through 2025 (“ Remaining Annual Commitment”). As of December 31, 2021, the Remaining Minimum Commitment was fully satisfied and the Remaining Annual Commitment no longer applies as a result . Nielsen has also entered into operating leases and other contractual obligations to secure real estate facilities, agreements to purchase data processing services and leases of computers and other equipment used in the ordinary course of business and various outsourcing contracts. These agreements are not unilaterally cancelable by Nielsen, are legally enforceable and specify fixed or minimum amounts or quantities of goods or services at fixed or minimum prices. The amounts presented below represent the minimum annual payments under Nielsen’s purchase obligations that have initial or remaining non-cancelable terms in excess of one year. These purchase obligations include data processing, building maintenance, equipment purchasing, photocopiers, land and mobile telephone service, computer software and hardware maintenance, and outsourcing. For the Years Ending December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Thereafter Total Operating leases $ 57 $ 42 $ 25 $ 14 $ 11 $ 47 $ 196 Other contractual obligations (a) 148 37 20 19 2 - 226 Total $ 205 $ 79 $ 45 $ 33 $ 13 $ 47 $ 422 (a) Other contractual obligations represent obligations under agreement, which are not unilaterally cancelable by Nielsen, are legally enforceable and specify fixed or minimum amounts or quantities of goods or services at fixed or minimum prices. Nielsen generally requires purchase orders for vendor and third party spending. The amounts presented above represent the minimum future annual services covered by purchase obligations including data processing, cloud services, building maintenance, equipment purchasing, photocopiers, land and mobile telephone service, computer software and hardware maintenance, and outsourcing including cloud services Total expenses incurred under operating leases were $55 million, $52 million and $44 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Nielsen recognized rental income received under subleases of $3 million, zero and $2 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. At December 31, 2021, Nielsen had aggregate future proceeds to be received under sub-lease guarantees of $6 million. Nielsen also has minimum commitments under non-cancelable finance leases. See Note 5 “Leases” for more information on finance leases. Guarantees and Other Contingent Commitments At December 31, 2021, Nielsen was committed under the following significant guarantee arrangements: Sub-lease guarantees Nielsen provides sub-lease guarantees in accordance with certain agreements pursuant to which Nielsen guarantees all rental payments upon default of rental payment by the sub-lessee. To date, the Company has not been required to perform under such arrangements does not anticipate making any significant payments related to such guarantees and, accordingly, no amounts have been recorded. Letters of credit Letters of credit issued and outstanding amount to $13 million and $18 million at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Legal Proceedings and Contingencies In August 2018, a putative shareholder class action lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York, naming as defendants Nielsen, former Chief Executive Officer Dwight Mitchell Barns, and former Chief Financial Officer Jamere Jackson. Another lawsuit, which alleged similar facts but also named other Nielsen officers, was filed in the Northern District of Illinois in September 2018 and transferred to the Southern District of New York in December 2018. The actions were consolidated on April 22, 2019, and the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi was appointed lead plaintiff for the putative class. The operative complaint was filed on September 27, 2019, and asserts violations of certain provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, based on allegedly false and materially misleading statement s relating to the outlook of Nielsen’s Buy segment (now “Global Connect,” which was sold in the f irst quarter of 2021), Nielsen’s preparedness for changes in global data privacy laws and Nielsen’s reliance on third-party data. Nielsen moved to dismiss the operative complaint on November 26, 2019. On January 4, 2021, certa in of the allegations against Nielsen and its officers were dismissed, while others were sustained. On February 3, 2022, the parties reached a settlement in principle to resolve this litigation and are currently documenting the terms of that settleme nt for submission to the Court. Once the formal documents are executed and submitted to the Court, the settlement will be subject to Court approval. The amount of any settlement payment, if approved, is expected to be paid by Nielsen’s insurance carriers . In addition, in January 2019, a shareholder derivative lawsuit was filed in New York Supreme Court against a number of Nielsen’s current and former officers and directors. The derivative lawsuit alleges that the named officers and directors breached their fiduciary duties to us in connection with factual assertions substantially similar to those in the putative class action complaint. The derivative lawsuit further alleges that certain officers and directors engaged in trading our stock based on material, nonpublic information. An amended complaint was filed on May 7, 2021, which Nielsen moved to dismiss on July 16, 2021. By agreement dated September 8, 2021, the action was stayed for a period of 90 days. On January 31, 2022, the stay was extended to June 1, 2022. Nielsen intends to defend this lawsuit vigorously. Based on currently available information, Nielsen believes that the Company has meritorious defenses to this action and that its resolution is not likely to have a material adverse effect on Nielsen’s business, financial position, or results of operations . Nielsen is subject to litigation and other claims in the ordinary course of business, some of which include claims for substantial sums. Accruals have been recorded when the outcome is probable and can be reasonably estimated. While the ultimate results of claims and litigation cannot be determined, the Company does not expect that the ultimate disposition of these matters will have a material adverse effect on its operations or financial condition. However, depending on the amount and the timing, an unfavorable resolution of some or all of these matters could materially affect the Company’s future results of operations or cash flows in a particular period.

Segments

Segments	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segments	Note As discussed in Note 20 – Discontinued Operations, the former Global Connect operating segment has been classified as discontinued operations beginning with the first quarter of 2021. Following the sale of Global Connect, the Company evaluated segment reporting in accordance with ASC 280 “Segment Reporting” and beginning with the first quarter of 2021, the Company concluded that it operates as a single operating segment and a single reportable segment consisting principally of television, radio, online and mobile audience and advertising measurement and corresponding analytics. Nielsen operates as a complete unit - from the conception of a product, through the collection of the data, into the technology and operations, all the way to the data being sold and delivered to the client. The reporting structure of Nielsen is and has historically been centralized under one Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”), who evaluates Nielsen’s operating financial results to assess its performance . Segment Information (IN MILLIONS) Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Revenues $ 3,500 $ 3,361 $ 3,441 Operating income 872 679 870 Depreciation and amortization 512 550 465 Impairment of other long-lived assets — 146 — Restructuring charges 13 37 30 Share-based compensation expense 36 34 32 Dis-synergy costs (1) — (70 ) (70 ) Other items (2) 58 35 58 Adjusted EBITDA (3) $ 1,491 $ 1,411 $ 1,385 Total Assets: Total assets $ 10,820 $ 11,146 (1 ) Costs to stand-up Nielsen as a standalone company including incremental real estate, IT/infrastructure, transition services agreements (TSAs) and commercial arrangements (2) Other items primarily consist of legal settlements and related fees, business optimization costs and transaction related costs for the year ended December 31, 2021. Other Items primarily consists of business optimization costs, including strategic review costs and transaction related costs for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. (3 ) The Company’s chief operating decision-maker uses Adjusted EBITDA to measure performance and allocate resources from period to period. Year ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Capital expenditures $ 316 $ 305 $ 328 Geographic Segment Information Operating Long- Income/ Lived (IN MILLIONS) Revenues (1) (Loss) Assets (2) 2021 U.S. $ 2,886 $ 836 $ 8,684 North and South America, excluding the U.S. 56 10 75 United Kingdom 67 (18 ) 79 Other Europe, Middle East & Africa 265 (23 ) 402 Asia Pacific 226 67 94 Total $ 3,500 $ 872 $ 9,334 Operating Long- Income/ Lived (IN MILLIONS) Revenues (1) (Loss) Assets (2) 2020 U.S. $ 2,831 $ 690 $ 9,017 North and South America, excluding the U.S. 48 2 81 United Kingdom 59 (15 ) 84 Other Europe, Middle East & Africa 231 (49 ) 355 Asia Pacific 192 51 76 Total $ 3,361 $ 679 $ 9,613 Operating Income/ (IN MILLIONS) Revenues (1) (Loss) 2019 U.S. $ 2,880 $ 805 North and South America, excluding the U.S. 53 2 United Kingdom 62 (18 ) Other Europe, Middle East & Africa 236 20 Asia Pacific 210 61 Total $ 3,441 $ 870 (1) Revenues are attributed to geographic areas based on the location of customers. (2) Long-lived assets include property, plant and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets.

Additional Financial Informatio

Additional Financial Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Additional Financial Information	Note 19. Additional Financial Information Accounts payable and other current liabilities December 31, December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 Trade payables $ 29 $ 94 Personnel costs 130 107 Data and professional services 56 28 Interest payable 74 56 Other current liabilities (1) 189 214 Total accounts payable and other current liabilities $ 478 $ 499 (1) Other includes multiple items, none of which is individually significant.

Discontinued Operations

Discontinued Operations	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Discontinued Operations And Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Discontinued Operations	Note On October 31, 2020, Nielsen entered into the Stock Purchase Agreement to sell its Global Connect business to affiliates of Purchaser, for $2.7 billion in cash, subject to adjustments based on closing levels of cash, indebtedness, debt-like items and working capital, and the Connect Warrant. On February 11, 2021, Nielsen held a special meeting of Nielsen’s shareholders. At the special meeting, the Connect Transaction was submitted to a vote of the shareholders through the solicitation of proxies. Approval of the Connect Transaction required the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of ordinary shares present (online or by proxy) at the special meeting. The Connect Transaction was approved by the requisite vote of Nielsen’s shareholders. Beginning in the first quarter of 2021, Global Connect met the criteria set forth in ASC 205 – 20 “Presentation of Financial Statements – Discontinued Operations,” and has been presented on a discontinued operations basis for all periods presented. Given Global Connect represented a separate segment and approximately 50% of our consolidated revenues, we considered this to be a strategic shift. The Connect Transaction closed on March 5, 2021. Nielsen received net proceeds of $2.4 billion on March 5, 2021 and recorded a gain of $489 million net of tax, inclusive of closing adjustments, during the year ended December 31, 2021. Proceeds from the sale were primarily utilized for debt repayment. On March 16, 2021, Nielsen completed the partial prepayment of $1.0 billion of the senior secured term loans due 2023 and $0.3 billion of the senior secured term loans due 2025. Nielsen redeemed $150 million outstanding aggregate principal amount of its 5.500% senior notes due 2021 effective March 21, 2021 and redeemed $825 million of outstanding aggregate principal amount of the 5.000% senior notes due 2022 effective April 10, 2021, in each case at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of such notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to, but excluding, the applicable redemption date. In connection with the Connect Transaction, Nielsen and Global Connect entered into a Transition Services Agreement for services that primarily relate to technology functions such as infrastructure and cybersecurity, which will run for up to two years following the closing, with an option to extend the term by six months per service. In addition, Nielsen and Global Connect entered into a Master Services Agreement pursuant to which each party granted the other reciprocal licenses to certain data used by Global Connect and Nielsen, respectively, as well as certain corresponding services related to such data at agreed rates for up to five years following the closing. The following table summarizes the major classes of line items constituting net income from discontinued operations, net of tax: Years Ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Operations Revenues $ 452 $ 2,929 $ 3,057 Cost of revenues, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below 264 1,525 1,631 Selling, general and administrative expenses, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below 229 1,158 1,044 Depreciation and amortization 36 314 291 Impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets (1) — 38 1,004 Restructuring charges 6 107 50 Operating loss (83 ) (213 ) (963 ) Other expenses (2) (15 ) (60 ) (138 ) Loss from discontinued operations before income taxes (98 ) (273 ) (1,101 ) Benefit for income taxes 21 77 119 Net loss from discontinued operations $ (77 ) $ (196 ) $ (982 ) Disposal Gain on disposal before income taxes $ 367 $ — $ — Benefit for income taxes (3) 122 — — Gain on disposal, net of taxes 489 — — Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations 412 (196 ) (982 ) Net income from discontinued operations attributable to noncontrolling interests — — — Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations attributable to Nielsen shareholders $ 412 $ (196 ) $ (982 ) (1) Includes a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $1,004 million. (2) The Company’s Sixth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement entered into in July 2020 and the Credit Agreement entered into in June 2020, as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto in July 2020, required $1.3 billion of senior secured term loans to be repaid pursuant to the debt covenants that triggered as a result of the Connect Transaction. As such, the Company elected to allocate interest expense to discontinued operations of $8 million, $38 million and $46 for the years ended December 30, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Other expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019 included non-cash expenses of $164 million for pension settlements which included plan transfers to third parties in the Netherlands, where we terminated our responsibility for future defined benefit obligations and transferred that responsibility to third parties. (3) The company recorded a $122 million tax benefit associated with the US pre-tax loss on sale; the non-US gain on sale was not subject to tax. For the three year period ended December 31, 2021, the Company has incurred $162 million in separation costs related to the sale of Global Connect, of which approximately $37 million, $123 million and $2 million are reflected in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations as discontinued operations for the years ended December 30, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. These costs are comprised primarily of professional fees (e.g., legal, banking and accounting), as well as other items that are incremental and one-time in nature that are related to the sale of Global Connect. The following table summarizes the major classes of assets and liabilities of discontinued operations at December 31, 2020: December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2020 Assets: Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 110 Trade and other receivables, net of allowances for doubtful accounts and sales returns 689 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 265 Total current assets of discontinued operations 1,064 Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment, net 177 Operating lease right-of-use asset 217 Goodwill 360 Other intangible assets, net 807 Deferred tax assets 228 Other non-current assets 136 Total assets of discontinued operations $ 2,989 Liabilities: Current liabilities Accounts payable and other current liabilities $ 710 Deferred revenues 235 Income tax liabilities 27 Current portion of long-term debt, finance lease obligations and short-term borrowings 17 Total current liabilities of discontinued operations 989 Non-current liabilities Long-term debt and finance lease obligations 1,330 Deferred tax liabilities 65 Operating lease liabilities 218 Other non-current liabilities 224 Total liabilities of discontinued operations $ 2,826 As of December 31, 2021, the consolidated balance sheet included $32 million of a receivable from Purchaser within prepaid expenses and other current assets as well as $2 million payable to Purchaser within accounts payable and other current liabilities and $17 million within other non-current liabilities for liabilities to affiliates of Purchaser. These represent estimated receivables from and payables to affiliates of Purchaser under tax indemnification arrangements for certain liabilities to various taxing authorities that will be settled in future periods. The following table provides operating and investing cash flows for discontinued operations (in millions): For the year ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Net cash flows provided by/(used in) operating activities (1) $ (245) $ 63 $ 238 Net cash flows used in investing activities (26) (232 ) (207 ) (1) For the year ended net cash flows used in operating activities included $8 million of net payments under the tax indemnification arrangements.

Subsequent Events

Subsequent Events	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	Note 21. Subsequent Events On February 26, 2022, Nielsen’s Board authorized the repurchase of up to $1 billion of the Company’s ordinary shares. The Board authorization may be suspended, modified or terminated at any time without prior notice subject to compliance with applicable laws and regulation. This share repurchase authorization replaces all previous authorizations . The timing of any repurchases will depend on a number of factors, including constraints specified in any Rule 10b5-1 trading, price, general business and market conditions, and alternative investment opportunities. This authorization has been executed within the limitations of the authority granted to Nielsen at its annual shareholders meeting held on May 25, 2021 (the "Authority") such authority to remain in place until the end of the 2022 annual shareholders meeting, or close of business on August 25, 2022, whichever is earlier. Pursuant to the Authority, the Company may only repurchase ordinary shares in accordance with procedures for "off-market" purchases under the UK Companies Act (the "Act") and, in order to be compliant with the Act, share repurchases can only be made pursuant to the terms of one or more share repurchase agreements entered into in either of the forms approved, and with counterparties that have also been approved, by shareholders at the 2021 annual shareholders meeting. Two forms of share repurchase contracts were approved by shareholders. The first provides that the counterparty will purchase shares on the New York Stock Exchange at such prices and in such quantities as the Company may instruct from time to time, subject to the limitations set forth in Rule 10b-18 of the Exchange Act, as amended. The second form of agreement provides that the amount of shares to be purchased each day, the limit price and the total amount that may be purchased under the agreement will be determined at the time the agreement is executed. Both agreements provide that the counterparty will purchase the ordinary shares as principal and sell any ordinary shares purchased to the Company in record form. Any such shares repurchased by the Company pursuant to either form of contract will be cancelled.

Schedule I-Condensed Financial

Schedule I-Condensed Financial Information of Registrant	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Condensed Financial Information Of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule I-Condensed Financial Information of Registrant	Schedule I—Condensed Financial Information of Registrant Nielsen Holdings plc Parent Company Only Statements of Operations Year Ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Selling, general and administrative expenses $ 13 $ 13 $ 14 Operating loss (13 ) (13 ) (14 ) Interest income — 1 1 Interest expense — — — Other income, net 5 — — Loss before income taxes and equity in net income/(loss) of subsidiaries (8 ) (12 ) (13 ) Benefit/(provision) for income taxes — — — Equity in net income/(loss) of subsidiaries 971 6 (402 ) Net income/(loss) $ 963 $ (6 ) $ (415 ) Nielsen Holdings plc Parent Company Only Balance Sheets December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 Assets: Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 14 $ 3 Amounts receivable from subsidiary — 1 Total current assets 14 4 Investment in subsidiaries 3,294 2,023 Loans outstanding from subsidiary 6 25 Other non-current assets — — Total assets $ 3,314 $ 2,052 Liabilities and equity: Current liabilities Accounts payable and other current liabilities — — Intercompany payables — 1 Total current liabilities — 1 Loans outstanding from subsidiary — — Other non-current liabilities — — Total liabilities — 1 Total equity 3,314 2,051 Total liabilities and equity $ 3,314 $ 2,052 Nielsen Holdings plc Parent Company Only Statements of Cash Flows Year Ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Net cash used in operating activities $ (10 ) $ (14 ) $ (8 ) Investing Activities: Other investing activities — 1 — Net cash (used in)/provided by investment activities (10 ) 1 — Financing Activities: Cash dividends paid to shareholders (86 ) (86 ) (395 ) Activity under stock plans — (2 ) — Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan 1 4 4 Other financing activities 106 98 398 Net cash provided by financing activities 21 14 7 Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 11 1 (1 ) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 3 2 3 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 14 $ 3 $ 2 The notes to the consolidated financial statements of Nielsen Holdings plc (the “Company”) are an integral part of these nonconsolidated financial statements. Notes to Schedule I 1. Basis of Presentation The Company has accounted for the earnings of its subsidiaries under the equity method in these financial statements. 2. Commitments and Contingencies The debenture loans are jointly and severally guaranteed on an unconditional basis by the Company and subject to certain exceptions, each of the direct and indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company, including VNU Intermediate Holding B.V., Nielsen Holding and Finance B.V., VNU International B.V., TNC (US) Holdings, Inc., VNU Marketing Information, Inc. and ACN Holdings, Inc., and the wholly-owned subsidiaries thereof, including the wholly-owned U.S. subsidiaries of ACN Holdings, Inc., in each case to the extent that such entities provide a guarantee under the senior secured credit facilities. The issuers are Nielsen Finance LLC and Nielsen Finance Co., both wholly-owned subsidiaries of ACN Holdings, Inc. and subsidiary guarantors and The Nielsen Company (Luxembourg) S.à.r.l., a wholly owned subsidiary of Nielsen Holding and Finance B.V. The historical financial information has been updated to reflect The Nielsen Company (Luxembourg) S.à.r.l. as an issuer. The Company had no material commitments or contingencies during the reported periods. 3. Related Party Transactions The Company enters into certain transactions with its subsidiaries through the normal course of operations and periodically settles these transactions in cash. The Company’s $25 million loan receivable from subsidiaries associated with financing transactions outstanding balance from 2020 was settled in September of 2021. 4. Common Stock and Related Transactions Dividends and Share Repurchase On January 31, 2013, the Board adopted a cash dividend policy to pay quarterly cash dividends on its outstanding common stock continuing determination that the dividend policy and the declaration of dividends thereunder are in the best interests of Nielsen’s shareholders, and are in compliance with all laws and agreements to which we are subject . On February 10, 2022, the Board declared a cash dividend of $0.06 per share on our common stock. The dividend is payable on March 17, 2022 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 3, 2022. On February 26, 2022, Nielsen’s Board authorized the repurchase of up to $1 billion of the Company’s ordinary shares. The Board authorization may be suspended, modified or terminated at any time without prior notice subject to compliance with applicable laws and regulation. This share repurchase authorization replaces all previous authorizations. There were no share repurchases in 2021 or 2020. The timing of any repurchases will depend on a number of factors, including constraints specified in any Rule 10b5-1 trading, price, general business and market conditions, and alternative investment opportunities. This authorization has been executed within the limitations of the authority granted to Nielsen at its annual shareholders meeting held on May 25, 2021 (the "Authority") such authority to remain in place until the end of the 2022 annual shareholders meeting, or close of business on August 25, 2022, whichever is earlier. Pursuant to the Authority, the Company may only repurchase ordinary shares in accordance with procedures for "off-market" purchases under the UK Companies Act (the "Act") and, in order to be compliant with the Act, share repurchases can only be made pursuant to the terms of one or more share repurchase agreements entered into in either of the forms approved, and with counterparties that have also been approved, by shareholders at the 2021 annual shareholders meeting. Two forms of share repurchase contracts were approved by shareholders. The first provides that the counterparty will purchase shares on the New York Stock Exchange at such prices and in such quantities as the Company may instruct from time to time, subject to the limitations set forth in Rule 10b-18 of the Exchange Act, as amended. The second form of agreement provides that the amount of shares to be purchased each day, the limit price and the total amount that may be purchased under the agreement will be determined at the time the agreement is executed. Both agreements provide that the counterparty will purchase the ordinary shares as principal and sell any ordinary shares purchased to the Company in record form. Any such shares repurchased by the Company pursuant to either form of contract will be cancelled.

Schedule II-Valuation and Quali

Schedule II-Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Valuation And Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]
Schedule of Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure	Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts For the Years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 (IN MILLIONS) Balance Net Charges to Deductions Effect of Balance at Allowance for doubtful accounts and sales returns For the year ended December 31, 2019 $ 20 $ 1 $ (5 ) $ - $ 16 For the year ended December 31, 2020 $ 16 $ 16 $ (9 ) $ - $ 23 For the year ended December 31, 2021 $ 23 $ (9 ) $ - $ (1 ) $ 13 (IN MILLIONS) Balance Charges/ Charged Effect of Balance at Valuation allowance for deferred taxes For the year ended December 31, 2019 $ 629 $ (12 ) $ - $ (8 ) $ 609 For the year ended December 31, 2020 $ 609 $ (48 ) $ 2 $ (3 ) $ 560 For the year ended December 31, 2021 $ 560 $ (67 ) $ 5 $ (4 ) $ 494

Description of Business, Basi_2

Description of Business, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Consolidation	Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Nielsen and all subsidiaries and other controlled entities. Noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries are reported as a component of equity in the consolidated financial statements with disclosure on the face of the consolidated statements of operations of the amounts of consolidated net income/(loss) attributable to Nielsen shareholders and to the noncontrolling interests. The equity method of accounting is used for investments in affiliates and joint ventures where Nielsen has significant influence but not control, usually supported by a shareholding of between 20% and 50% of the voting rights. In addition, the Company records changes in the fair value of non-equity method equity investments with readily determinable fair values in net income rather than in accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss). Investments that do not have readily determinable fair values are recognized at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. The adjustments related to the observable price changes will also be recognized in net income. Intercompany accounts and transactions between consolidated companies have been eliminated in consolidation.
Foreign Currency Translations	Foreign Currency Translation Nielsen has significant investments outside the U.S., primarily in the Euro-zone, Canada and the United Kingdom. Therefore, changes in the value of foreign currencies affect the consolidated financial statements when translated into U.S. Dollars. The functional currency for substantially all subsidiaries outside the U.S. is the local currency. Financial statements for these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. Dollars at period-end exchange rates as to the assets and liabilities and monthly average exchange rates as to revenues, expenses and cash flows. For these countries, currency translation adjustments are recognized in shareholders’ equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss), net, whereas transaction gains and losses are recognized in foreign exchange transaction losses, net in the consolidated statement of operations.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amount of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Research and Development Costs	Research and Development Costs Research and development costs, which were not material for any periods presented, are expensed as incurred.
Deferred Costs	Deferred Costs Incremental direct costs incurred related to establishing or significantly expanding a panel in a designated market are deferred at the point when Nielsen determines them to be recoverable. Prior to this point, these costs are expensed as incurred. These deferred costs are typically amortized through cost of revenues over the original contract period beginning when the panel or infrastructure to service new clients is ready for its intended use.
Advertising and Marketing Costs	Advertising and Marketing Costs Advertising and marketing costs are expensed as incurred and are reflected as selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. These costs include all brand advertising, telemarketing, direct mail and other sales promotions associated with marketing/media research services. Advertising and marketing costs totaled $19 million, $5 million and $8 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Computation of Net Income per Share	Computation of Net Income per Share Basic net income per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net income per share is computed using the weighted-average number of shares of common stock and dilutive potential shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Dilutive potential shares of common stock primarily consist of employee stock options and restricted stock. Employee stock options, restricted stock and similar equity instruments granted by the Company are treated as potential common stock outstanding in computing diluted earnings per share. Diluted stock outstanding includes nonvested restricted stock units and the dilutive effect of in-the-money options which is calculated based on the average share price for each period using the treasury stock method. Under the treasury stock method, the amount the employee must pay for exercising stock options, the amount of compensation cost for future service that the Company has not yet recognized are assumed to be used to repurchase stock. The effect of 2,342,903, 3,132,528 and 3,950,984 shares of common stock equivalents under stock compensation plans were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively, as such shares would have been anti-dilutive.
Comprehensive Income/(Loss)	Comprehensive Income/(Loss) Comprehensive income/(loss) is reported in the accompanying consolidated statements of comprehensive income/(loss) and consists of net income/(loss) and other gains and losses, net of tax, affecting equity that are excluded from net income/(loss).
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents include cash and short-term, highly liquid investments with an original maturity date of three months or less. Cash and cash equivalents are carried at fair value.
Accounts Receivable	Accounts Receivable The Company extends non-interest bearing trade credit to its customers in the ordinary course of business. To minimize credit risk, ongoing credit evaluations of clients’ financial condition are performed. Nielsen is required to measure expected credit losses on trade accounts receivable. Nielsen considered the asset’s contractual life, the risk of loss and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions. The estimate of expected credit losses reflects the risk of loss, even if management believes no loss was incurred as of the measurement date. During the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the Company sold $10 million, $249 million and $318 million, respectively, of accounts receivables to third parties and recorded an immaterial loss on the sale to interest expense, net in the consolidated statement of operations. As of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, zero, $30 million and $66 million, respectively, of previously sold receivables, remained outstanding. The sales were accounted for as true sales, without recourse. Nielsen maintains servicing responsibilities of the receivables sold during the year, for which the related costs are not significant. The proceeds of $10 million, $249 million and $318 million from the sales were reported as a component of the changes in trade and other receivables, net within operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows.
Discontinued Operations	Discontinued Operations Nielsen considers an asset to be held for sale when management, having the authority through shareholder and/or Board approval, as needed, commits to a formal plan to actively market the asset for sale at a price reasonable in relation to fair value, the asset is available for immediate sale in its present condition, an active program to locate a buyer and other actions required to complete the sale have been initiated, the sale of the asset is expected to be completed within one year and it is unlikely that significant changes will be made to the plan. Upon designation as held for sale, Nielsen records the carrying value of the asset at the lower of its carrying value or its estimated fair value, less costs to sell. In accordance with GAAP, assets held for sale are not depreciated or amortized. If the disposal of the component of an entity (or group of components) represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results, it meets the criteria for discontinued operations. The results of discontinued operations, as well as any gain or loss on the disposal transaction, are presented separately, net of tax, from the results of continuing operations for all periods presented. The expenses included in the results of discontinued operations are the direct operating expenses incurred by the discontinued segment that may be reasonably segregated from the costs of the ongoing operations of the Company. Certain corporate costs directly attributable to the discontinued operations and transaction costs directly related to the sale are also presented within net income/(loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes. The assets and liabilities have been accounted for as assets held for sale in Nielsen’s consolidated balance sheets through the date of the sale. The operating results related to these lines of business have been included in discontinued operations in Nielsen’s consolidated statements of operations. The consolidated statement of cash flows presents combined cash flows from continuing operations with cash flows from discontinued operations within each cash flow statement category. See Note 20 – Discontinued Operations for further detail.
Other Significant Accounting Policies	Other Significant Accounting Policies The following table includes other significant accounting policies that are described in other notes to the financial statements, including the related note: Significant Accounting Policy Note Revenue recognition 3 Leases 5 Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets 6 Impairment of Long-Lived Assets 6&8 Property, Plant and Equipment 8 Investments 9 Financial Instruments 9 Derivative Financial Instruments 9 Pensions and Other Post Retirement Benefits 11 Share-Based Compensation 14 Income Taxes 15
Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income taxes	Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income taxes Effective January 1, 2021, the Company adopted ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. The standard amends and aims to simplify accounting disclosure requirements regarding a number of topics including: intraperiod tax allocation, accounting for deferred taxes when there are changes in consolidation of certain investments, tax basis step up in an acquisition and the application of effective rate changes during interim periods, amongst other improvements. Upon adoption, this new standard did not have a significant impact on Nielsen’s financial statements.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue is measured based on the consideration specified in a contract with a customer. The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control of a product or service to a customer, which generally occurs over time. Substantially all of the Company’s customer contracts are non-cancelable and non-refundable. Revenue is primarily generated from television, radio, digital and mobile audience measurement services and analytics, which are used by the Company’s clients to establish the value of airtime and more effectively schedule and promote their programming and the Company’s advertising clients to plan and optimize their spend. As the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by the Company’s performance, revenues for these services are recognized over the period during which the performance obligations are satisfied and control of the service is transferred to the customer. The Company enters into cooperation arrangements with certain customers, under which the customer provides Nielsen with its data in exchange for Nielsen’s services. Nielsen records these transactions at fair value, which is determined based on the fair value of goods or services received, if reasonably estimable. If not reasonably estimable, the Company considers the fair value of the goods or services surrendered.
Leases	All significant lease arrangements are generally recognized at lease commencement. Operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and lease liabilities are recognized at commencement. An ROU asset and corresponding lease liability are not recorded for leases with an initial term of 12 months or less (short term leases) and Nielsen recognizes lease expense for these short term leases as incurred over the lease term . ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset during the reasonably certain lease term, and lease liabilities represent its obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Nielsen’s lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that Nielsen will exercise that option. Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. Nielsen uses the rate implicit in the lease for the discount rate when determining the present value of lease payments whenever that rate is readily determinable. If the rate is not readily determinable, Nielsen uses its incremental borrowing rate, which is updated periodically, based on the information available at commencement date. The operating lease ROU asset also includes any lease payments related to initial direct cost and prepayments and excludes lease incentives. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Nielsen has lease agreements with lease and non-lease components, which are generally accounted for together . Nielsen has operating and finance leases for real estate facilities, servers, computer hardware, and other equipment. Nielsen’s leases have remaining lease terms of 1 year to 20 years, some of which include options to extend the leases for up to 5 years, and some of which include options to terminate the leases within 1 year.

Revenue Recognition (Tables)

Revenue Recognition (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Revenue Recognition [Abstract]
Summary of Revenue Disaggregated by Major Product Offerings and Timing of Revenue Recognition	The table below sets forth the Company’s revenue disaggregated by major product offerings and timing of revenue recognition. (IN MILLIONS) Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Measurement $ 2,545 $ 2,455 $ 2,471 Impact/Content 955 906 970 Total $ 3,500 $ 3,361 $ 3,441 Timing of revenue recognition Products transferred at a point in time $ 397 $ 342 $ 286 Products and services transferred over time 3,103 3,019 3,155 Total $ 3,500 $ 3,361 $ 3,441
Summary of Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers	The table below sets forth the Company’s contract assets and contract liabilities from contracts with customers. (IN MILLIONS) Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 Contract assets $ 97 $ 94 Contract liabilities $ 131 $ 135
Schedule of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Rollforward Incorporating Expected Credit Losses	The following schedule represents the allowance for doubtful accounts rollforward incorporating expected credit losses for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. (IN MILLIONS) Balance Net Charges to Deductions Effect of Balance at Allowance for accounts receivable Year ended December 31, 2021 $ 11 $ (4 ) $ - $ (1 ) $ 6 Year ended December 31, 2020 8 7 (4 ) - 11

Leases (Tables)

Leases (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Leases [Abstract]
Components of Lease Expense	The components of lease expense were as follows: (in millions) Year Ended December 31, 2021 Year Ended December 31, 2020 Year Ended December 31, 2019 Lease cost Finance lease cost: Amortization of right-of-use assets $ 44 $ 41 $ 40 Interest on lease liabilities 5 6 7 Total finance lease cost 49 47 47 Operating lease cost 55 52 44 Variable lease costs 2 - - Short-term lease costs 1 - 1 Sublease income (5 ) (1 ) (2 ) Total lease cost $ 102 $ 98 $ 90
Supplemental Balance Sheet Information Related to Leases	Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows: (in millions, except lease term and discount rate) December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Operating leases Operating lease right-of-use assets $ 144 $ 161 Other current liabilities 54 50 Operating lease liabilities 126 140 Total operating lease liabilities $ 180 $ 190 Finance leases Property, plant and equipment, gross $ 327 $ 300 Accumulated depreciation (220 ) (175 ) Property, plant and equipment, net 107 125 Other intangible assets, gross 12 11 Accumulated amortization (10 ) (9 ) Other intangible assets, net 2 2 Accounts payable and other current liabilities 34 39 Long-term debt and finance lease obligations 42 59 Total finance lease liabilities $ 76 $ 98 Other information Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities Operating cash flows used in finance leases (5 ) (6 ) Operating cash flows used in operating leases (66 ) (41 ) Financing cash flows used in finance leases (45 ) (44 ) Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities 26 32 Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities 29 30 Weighted-average remaining lease term--finance leases 2 years 3 years Weighted-average remaining lease term--operating leases 6 years 7 years Weighted-average discount rate--finance leases 5.0 % 5.2 % Weighted-average discount rate--operating leases 2.9 % 4.0 %
Schedule of Annual Maturities of Lease Liabilities	Annual maturities of Nielsen’s lease liabilities are as follows: (in millions) Operating Leases Finance Leases 2022 $ 57 $ 38 2023 42 28 2024 25 11 2025 14 2 2026 11 - Thereafter 47 - Total lease payments 196 79 Less imputed interest (16 ) (3 ) Total $ 180 $ 76

Goodwill and Other Intangible_2

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Changes in Carrying Amount of Goodwill	The table below summarizes the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. (IN MILLIONS) Balance, December 31, 2019 $ 5,662 Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments (3 ) Effect of foreign currency translation 21 Balance, December 31, 2020 $ 5,680 Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments (62 ) Effect of foreign currency translation (19 ) Balance, December 31, 2021 $ 5,599 Cumulative impairments $ 376
Other Intangible Assets	The table below summarizes the carrying value of such intangible assets and their estimated useful lives: Gross Amounts Accumulated Amortization Estimated Weighted December 31, December 31, December 31, December 31, (IN MILLIONS) Useful Lives Average 2021 2020 2021 2020 Indefinite-lived intangibles: Trade names and trademarks $ 1,833 $ 1,833 $ — $ — Amortized intangibles: Trade names and trademarks 5-20 years 9 years 110 128 (96 ) (110 ) Customer-related intangibles 6-25 years 20 years 2,558 2,564 (1,689 ) (1,580 ) Covenants-not-to-compete 1-7 years 2 years 26 26 (26 ) (26 ) Content databases 12-16 years 12 years 168 168 (67 ) (53 ) Computer software 3-10 years 5 years 1,572 1,372 (947 ) (692 ) Patents and other 3-10 years 7 years 148 153 (128 ) (120 ) Total $ 4,582 $ 4,411 $ (2,953 ) $ (2,581 )
Summary of Estimated Future Amortization Expense	All other intangible assets are subject to amortization. Future amortization expense is estimated to be as follows: (IN MILLIONS) For the year ending December 31: 2022 $ 397 2023 322 2024 234 2025 155 2026 133 Thereafter 388 Total $ 1,629

Changes in and Reclassificati_2

Changes in and Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss) by Component (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Equity [Abstract]
Summary of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), Net of Tax by Component	The table below summarizes the changes in accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss), net of tax, by component for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Currency Translation Cash Flow Post-Employment (IN MILLIONS) Adjustments Hedges Benefits Total Balance December 31, 2020 $ (821 ) $ (39 ) $ (245 ) $ (1,105 ) Other comprehensive (loss)/income before reclassifications $ (60 ) $ 3 $ 28 $ (29 ) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss 233 18 144 395 Net current period other comprehensive income 173 21 172 366 Net current period other comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interest (1 ) — — (1 ) Net current period other comprehensive income attributable to Nielsen shareholders 174 21 172 367 Balance December 31, 2021 $ (647 ) $ (18 ) $ (73 ) $ (738 ) Currency Translation Cash Flow Post-Employment (IN MILLIONS) Adjustments Hedges Benefits Total Balance December 31, 2019 $ (776 ) $ (19 ) $ (210 ) $ (1,005 ) Other comprehensive income/(loss) before reclassifications $ (45 ) $ (37 ) $ (44 ) $ (126 ) Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income)/loss — 17 9 26 Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to Nielsen shareholders (45 ) (20 ) (35 ) (100 ) Balance December 31, 2020 $ (821 ) $ (39 ) $ (245 ) $ (1,105 )
Summary of Reclassification of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss by Component	The table below summarizes the reclassification of accumulated other comprehensive loss by component for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other (IN MILLIONS) Comprehensive Loss/(Income) Details about Accumulated Affected Line Item in the Other Comprehensive Year Ended December 31, Consolidated Income components 2021 2020 Statement of Operations Currency Translation Adjustments Currency translation losses on dispositions (1) $ 233 $ — Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations Cash flow hedges Interest rate contracts $ 25 $ 23 Interest (income)/expense (7 ) (6 ) (Benefit)/provision for income taxes $ 18 $ 17 Total, net of tax Post-Employment Benefits Amortization of actuarial loss (2) $ 14 $ 17 Other expense, net (11 ) (8 ) (Benefit)/provision for income taxes $ 3 $ 9 Total, net of tax Unrealized (gains)/losses on pension liability on dispositions (1) $ 141 $ — Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations Total Post-Employment Benefits reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income)/loss $ 144 $ 9 Total reclassification for the period $ 395 $ 26 Net of tax (1) The sale of Global Connect resulted . (2) This accumulated other comprehensive loss component is included in the computation of net periodic pension cost .

Property, Plant and Equipment (

Property, Plant and Equipment (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment	The following tables summarizes the carrying value of our property, plant and equipment including the associated useful lives: Estimated December 31, December 31, (IN MILLIONS) Useful Life 2021 2020 Land and buildings 25-50 years $ 177 $ 174 Information and communication equipment 3-10 years 649 567 Furniture, equipment and other 3-10 years 30 19 856 760 Less accumulated depreciation and amortization (583 ) (490 ) $ 273 $ 270

Fair Value Measurements (Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis	The following table summarizes the valuation of the Company’s material financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2021 and 2020: December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Assets: Plan assets for deferred compensation (1) $ 24 $ 24 $ — $ — Investment in mutual funds (2) 1 1 — — Warrant (3 ) 6 — — 6 Total $ 31 $ 25 $ — $ 6 Liabilities: Interest rate swap arrangements (4 ) $ 22 $ — $ 22 $ — Deferred compensation liabilities (5 ) 24 24 — — Total $ 46 $ 24 $ 22 $ — December 31, 2020 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Assets: Plan assets for deferred compensation (1) $ 24 $ 24 $ — $ — Investment in mutual funds (2) 2 2 — — Total $ 26 $ 26 $ — $ — Liabilities: Interest rate swap arrangements (3) $ 52 $ — $ 52 $ — Deferred compensation liabilities (5 ) 24 24 — — Total $ 76 $ 24 $ 52 $ — ( 1 ) Plan assets are comprised of investments in mutual funds, which are intended to fund liabilities arising from deferred compensation plans. These investments are carried at fair value, which is based on quoted market prices at period end in active markets. These investments are classified as equity securities with any gains or losses resulting from changes in fair value recorded in other income/(expense), net in the consolidated statement of operations. (2) Investments in mutual funds are money-market accounts held with the intention of funding certain specific retirement plans. ( 3 ) The estimated fair value of the Connect Warrant issued March 5, 2021 of $5 million was part of the proceeds related to the sale of Global Connect and included in the net gain on sale of Global Connect. The Connect Warrant is marked-to-market each reporting period with the subsequent change in fair value recorded to other income/(expense), net in the consolidated statement of operations. The Connect Warrant is reported within other non-current assets within the consolidated balance sheet. The fair value of the Connect Warrant asset is estimated using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model and had an estimated fair value of $6 million as of December 31, 2021. ( 4 ) Derivative financial instruments include interest rate swap arrangements recorded at fair value based on externally-developed valuation models that use readily observable market parameters and the consideration of counterparty risk. ( 5 ) The Company offers certain employees the opportunity to participate in a deferred compensation plan. A participant’s deferrals are invested in a variety of participant directed stock and bond mutual funds and are classified as equity securities. Changes in the fair value of these securities are measured using quoted prices in active markets based on the market price per unit multiplied by the number of units held exclusive of any transaction costs. A corresponding adjustment for changes in fair value of the equity securities is also reflected in the changes in fair value of the deferred compensation obligation.
Summary of U.S Dollar Term Loan to Fixed Rate Outstanding Interest Rate Swaps	As of December 31, 2021, the Company had the following U.S. Dollar term loan floating-to-fixed rate outstanding interest rate swaps designated as hedges utilized in the management of its interest rate risk: Notional Amount Maturity Date Interest Rates $ 250 July 2022 2.00 % $ 150 April 2023 2.26 % $ 250 May 2023 2.72 % $ 250 June 2023 2.07 % $ 150 July 2023 1.82 %
Schedule of Effect of Cash Flow Hedge Accounting on Consolidated Statement of Operations	The effect of cash flow hedge accounting on the consolidated statement of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019: Interest Expense Year Ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Interest expense (Location in the consolidated statement of operations in which the effects of cash flow hedges are recorded) $ 285 $ 331 $ 348 Amount of (gain)/loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) into income, net of tax $ 18 $ 17 $ (7 )
Fair Values of Derivative Instruments in Consolidated Balance Sheets	The fair values of the Company’s derivative instruments as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 were as follows: December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments Accounts Payable and Other Current Other Non- Current Accounts Payable and Other Current Other Non- Current (IN MILLIONS) Liabilities Liabilities Liabilities Liabilities Interest rate swaps $ 4 $ 18 $ 4 $ 48
Derivatives in Effective Cash Flow Hedging Relationships	The pre-tax effect of derivative instruments in effective cash flow hedging relationships for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 was as follows: Amount of (Gain)/Loss Amount of (Gain)/Loss Recognized in OCI Location of (Gain)/Loss Reclassified from OCI Derivatives in Cash Flow on Derivatives Reclassified from OCI into Income Hedging Relationships December 31, into Income December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 2021 2020 2019 Interest rate swaps $ (5 ) $ 52 $ 33 Interest expense $ 25 $ 23 $ (9 )

Restructuring Activities (Table

Restructuring Activities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]
Summary of Changes in Liabilities for Restructuring Activities	A summary of the changes in the liabilities for restructuring activities is provided below: Total (IN MILLIONS) Initiatives Balance at December 31, 2018 $ 22 Reclassification of ASC 420 real estate restructuring to right-of -use asset (1) (14 ) Charges (2) 20 Non-cash charges and other adjustments 1 Payments (20 ) Balance at December 31, 2019 9 Charges (3) 30 Non-cash charges and other adjustments - Payments (25 ) Balance at December 31, 2020 14 Charges (4) - Non-cash charges and other adjustments (2 ) Payments (12 ) Balance at December 31, 2021 $ - (1) Upon adoption of ASC 842, the real estate operating lease ASC 420 liabilities were reclassified and presented as a reduction of the related operating lease right-of-use asset. (2) Excludes charges related to operating lease right-of-use assets of $10 million. (3) Excludes charges related to operating lease right-of-use assets of $7 million. Includes $7 million of adjustments related to changes in a plan to exit a business. (4) Excludes charges related to operating lease right-of-use assets of $13 million

Pensions and Other Post-Retir_2

Pensions and Other Post-Retirement Benefits (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Pension Plans	A summary of the activity for the Pension Plans follows: Year Ended December 31, 2021 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Change in projected benefit obligation Benefit obligation at beginning of period $ 419 $ 37 $ 456 Service cost — 3 3 Interest cost 7 1 8 Plan participants’ contributions — 1 1 Actuarial (gain)/loss (16 ) (3 ) (19 ) Benefits paid (14 ) (1 ) (15 ) Settlements — (1 ) (1 ) Effect of foreign currency translation — (1 ) (1 ) Benefit obligation at end of period 396 36 432 Change in plan assets Fair value of plan assets at beginning of period 305 18 323 Actual return on plan assets 23 — 23 Employer contributions 11 3 14 Plan participants’ contributions — 1 1 Benefits paid (14 ) (1 ) (15 ) Settlements — (1 ) (1 ) Fair value of plan assets at end of period 325 20 345 Funded status $ (71 ) $ (16 ) $ (87 ) Amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets Current liabilities (1 ) — (1 ) Accrued benefit liability included in other non-current liabilities (70 ) (16 ) (86 ) Net amount recognized $ (71 ) $ (16 ) $ (87 ) Amounts recognized in Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax Net (gain)/loss $ (23 ) $ (2 ) $ (25 ) Settlement loss — — — Amortization of net loss (13 ) (1 ) (14 ) Total recognized in other comprehensive (income)/loss $ (36 ) $ (3 ) $ (39) Amounts not yet reflected in net periodic benefit cost and included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax Unrecognized losses $ 99 $ 7 $ 106 Year Ended December 31, 2020 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Change in projected benefit obligation Benefit obligation at beginning of period $ 378 $ 2 $ 380 Service cost — 3 3 Interest cost 11 1 12 Actuarial (gain)/loss 46 4 50 Benefits paid (16 ) — (16 ) Settlements — (1 ) (1 ) Other — 26 26 Effect of foreign currency translation — 2 2 Benefit obligation at end of period 419 37 456 Change in plan assets Fair value of plan assets at beginning of period 270 1 271 Actual return on plan assets 40 1 41 Employer contributions 11 2 13 Benefits paid (16 ) — (16 ) Settlements — (1 ) (1 ) Other — 15 15 Fair value of plan assets at end of period 305 18 323 Funded status $ (114 ) $ (19 ) $ (133 ) Amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets Accrued benefit liability included in other non-current liabilities (114 ) (19 ) (133 ) Net amount recognized $ (114 ) $ (19 ) $ (133 ) Amounts recognized in Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax Net (gain)/loss $ 23 $ 4 $ 27 Settlement loss — (1 ) (1 ) Amortization of net loss (11 ) 1 (10 ) Total recognized in other comprehensive (income)/loss $ 12 $ 4 $ 16 Amounts not yet reflected in net periodic benefit cost and included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax Unrecognized losses $ 135 $ 5 $ 140
Schedule of Accumulated and Projected Benefit Obligations and Fair Value of Plan Assets for Pension Plans with Accumulated Benefit Obligations in Excess of Plan Assets Table [Text Block]	The total accumulated benefit obligation and minimum liability changes for the Pension Plans were as follows: Year Ended Year Ended Year Ended December 31, December 31, December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Accumulated benefit obligation. $ 425 $ 450 $ 380 Pension Plans with Accumulated Benefit Obligation in Excess of Plan Assets at December 31, 2021 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Accumulated benefit obligation $ 396 $ 24 $ 420 Fair value of plan assets 325 13 338 Pension Plans with Projected Benefit Obligation in Excess of Plan Assets at December 31, 2021 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Projected benefit obligation $ 396 $ 35 $ 431 Fair value of plan assets 325 19 344 Pension Plans with Accumulated Benefit Obligation in Excess of Plan Assets at December 31, 2020 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Accumulated benefit obligation $ 419 $ 24 $ 443 Fair value of plan assets 305 12 317 Pension Plans with Projected Benefit Obligation in Excess of Plan Assets at December 31, 2020 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Projected benefit obligation $ 419 $ 36 $ 455 Fair value of plan assets 305 17 322
Net Periodic Benefit Cost	Net periodic benefit costs for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, includes the following components: United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Year ended December 31, 2021 Service cost $ — $ 3 $ 3 Interest cost 7 1 8 Expected return on plan assets (15 ) (2 ) (17 ) Amortization of net loss 13 1 14 Net periodic pension cost $ 5 $ 3 $ 8 United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Year ended December 31, 2020 Service cost $ — $ 3 $ 3 Interest cost 11 1 12 Expected return on plan assets (17 ) — (17 ) Amortization of net loss 11 — 11 Net periodic pension cost $ 5 $ 4 $ 9 Net periodic benefit cost for the year ended December 31, 2019 includes the following components: United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total Year ended December 31, 2019 Interest cost 14 — 14 Expected return on plan assets (17 ) — (17 ) Settlement loss recognized — 6 6 Amortization of net loss 6 — 6 Net periodic pension cost $ 3 $ 6 $ 9
Weighted Average Assumptions Underlying Pension Computations	The weighted average assumptions underlying the pension computations were as follows: Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 US Other US Other NL US Other Pension benefit obligation: —discount rate 2.9 % 2.0 % 2.5 % 1.5 % 1.9 % 3.4 % 1.9 % —rate of compensation increase — 3.2 % — 1.3 % 1.1 % — 1.1 % Net periodic pension costs: —discount rate 2.9 % 1.5 % 3.4 % 1.8 % 2.5 % 4.4 % 2.5 % —rate of compensation increase — 3.1 % — 1.0 % 1.1 % — 1.1 % —expected long-term return on plan assets 6.0 % 3.7 % 6.5 % 3.9 % 4.2 % 6.7 % 4.2 %
Weighted Average Asset Allocation by Asset Category	Nielsen’s pension plans’ weighted average asset allocations by asset category are as follows: United States Other Total At December 31, 2021 Equity securities 55 % 23 % 53 % Fixed income securities 45 28 44 Other — 49 3 Total 100 % 100 % 100 % United States Other Total At December 31, 2020 Equity securities 57 % 16 % 55 % Fixed income securities 43 21 41 Other — 63 4 Total 100 % 100 % 100 %
Assets at Fair Value	Assets at fair value (See Note 9 – “Fair Value Measurements” for additional information on fair value measurement and the underlying fair value hierarchy) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 are as follows: (IN MILLIONS) December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Asset Category Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash and equivalents $ 6 $ — $ — $ 6 $ 7 $ — $ — $ 7 Equity securities – U.S. 70 2 — 72 70 7 — 77 Equity securities – Global. 12 37 — 49 12 32 — 44 Equity securities – non-U.S. — 60 — 60 — 55 — 55 Real estate — 2 1 3 — 2 2 4 Corporate bonds 127 24 — 151 114 20 — 134 Debt issued by national, state or local government 1 — — 1 — — — — Other — 3 — 3 — 2 — 2 Total assets at fair value at December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 $ 216 $ 128 $ 1 $ 345 $ 203 $ 118 $ 2 $ 323
Summary of Changes in Fair Value of Pension Plans Level 3 Assets	The following is a summary of changes in the fair value of the Pension Plans’ Level 3 assets for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020: (IN MILLIONS) Real Estate Balance, end of year December 31, 2019 $ 1 Actual return on plan assets: Effect of foreign currency translation 1 Balance, end of year December 31, 2020 $ 2 Actual return on plan assets: Effect of foreign currency translation (1 ) Balance, end of year December 31, 2021 $ 1
Estimated Future Benefit Payments	Estimated future benefit payments are as follows: United (IN MILLIONS) States Other Total For the years ending December 31, 2022 $ 17 $ 2 $ 19 2023 19 2 21 2024 19 2 21 2025 19 2 21 2026 20 2 22 2027-2031 104 13 117

Long-term Debt and Other Fina_2

Long-term Debt and Other Financing Arrangements (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Long-Term Debt	Unless otherwise stated, interest rates are as of December 31, 2021. December 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 Weighted Weighted (IN MILLIONS) Carrying Interest Fair Carrying Interest Fair Senior secured term loans Amount Rate Value Value Rate Value Maturing in 2023, L+ 1.75% $ 742 $ 742 $ 754 $ 752 Maturing in 2023, L+ 2.00% 1,351 1,352 1,603 1,602 Maturing in 2023, Euro L+ 2.50% — — 251 250 Maturing in 2025, Euro L+ 3.75% — — 639 654 Maturing in 2025, L+ 4.75% — — 419 434 Maturing in 2023 $850 revolving credit facility (L+ 1.75%) — — — — Total (with weighted-average interest rate) 2,093 2.10 % 2,094 3,666 3.01 % 3,692 Senior debenture loans $425 maturing in 2021, 5.500% — — 150 151 $825 maturing in 2022, 5.000% — — 824 828 $500 maturing in 2025, 5.000% 498 507 498 514 $1,000 maturing in 2028, 5.625% 987 1,031 985 1,088 $750 maturing in 2030, 5.875% 740 785 739 846 $625 maturing in 2029, 4.500% 616 613 — — $625 maturing in 2031, 4.750% 616 616 — — Total (with weighted-average interest rate) 3,457 5.52 % 3,552 3,196 5.69 % 3,427 Total long-term debt 5,550 4.24 % 5,646 6,862 4.26 % 7,119 Finance lease and other financing obligations 76 98 Total debt and other financing arrangements 5,626 6,960 Less: Current portion of long-term debt, finance lease and other financing obligations and other short-term borrowings 35 276 Non-current portion of long-term debt and finance lease and other financing obligations $ 5,591 $ 6,684
Schedule of Long-Term Debt Currency Wise	The carrying value of Nielsen’s long-term debt are denominated in the following currencies: December 31, December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 U.S. Dollars $ 5,550 $ 5,972 Euro — 890 $ 5,550 $ 6,862
Annual Maturities of Long-Term Debt	Annual maturities of Nielsen’s long-term debt are as follows: (IN MILLIONS) 2022 $ — 2023 $ 2,093 2024 $ — 2025 $ 498 2026 $ — Thereafter $ 2,959 $ 5,550

Shareholders' Equity (Tables)

Shareholders' Equity (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Equity [Abstract]
Common Stock Activity	Common stock activity is as follows: Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Actual number of shares of common stock outstanding Beginning of period 357,644,935 356,149,883 355,271,737 Shares of common stock issued through compensation plans 1,589,317 1,519,384 835,057 Employee benefit trust activity 33,283 (24,332 ) 43,089 End of period 359,267,535 357,644,935 356,149,883

Share-Based Compensation (Table

Share-Based Compensation (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Summary of Stock Option Plan Activity	Nielsen’s stock option plan activity is summarized below (the aggregate intrinsic share value outstanding was zero for all periods presented): Number of Options Weighted-Average Weighted- Stock Option Plan activity Outstanding at December 31, 2018 4,631,836 $ 43.20 3.66 Granted — — Forfeited (662,732 ) 46.31 Expired options (445,760 ) 28.09 Exercised (9,027 ) 17.44 Outstanding at December 31, 2019 3,514,317 $ 44.60 3.15 Granted — — Forfeited (160,668 ) 48.74 Expired options (463,507 ) 35.00 Exercised — — Outstanding at December 31, 2020 2,890,142 $ 45.91 2.55 Granted — — Forfeited (535,798 ) 51.52 Expired options (735,625 ) 41.92 Exercised — — Exercisable and outstanding at December 31, 2021 1,618,719 $ 45.87 2.51
Summary of Restricted Stock Units	Activity of Nielsen’s RSUs that are ultimately payable in shares of common stock granted under the Stock Incentive Plan is summarized below: Number of Weighted-Average Fair Value RSU activity Nonvested at December 31, 2018 3,865,684 $ 29.88 Granted 2,454,871 21.46 Forfeited (692,718 ) 28.63 Vested (986,852 ) 33.60 Nonvested at December 31, 2019 4,640,985 $ 25.10 Granted 2,153,198 17.14 Forfeited (496,497 ) 22.59 Vested (2,025,318 ) 26.38 Nonvested at December 31, 2020 4,272,368 $ 20.86 Granted 1,198,743 25.68 Forfeited (1,150,836 ) 20.09 Vested (2,135,117 ) 22.70 Nonvested at December 31, 2021 2,185,157 $ 22.02
Time and Performance Based Stock Options
Summary of Assumptions Used for Grants of Time and Performance Based Awards	The following assumptions were used for grants of time and performance based awards: Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 Expected life (years) 5.00 5.00 Risk-free interest rate 0.89 % 0.49-1.34 % Expected dividend yield 0.92 % 1.16-1.62 % Expected volatility 37.06 % 28.99-31.40 % Weighted average volatility 37.06 % 30.20 %

Income Taxes (Tables)

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Components of Income/(Loss) Before Income Taxes and Equity in Net Income/(Loss) of Affiliates	The components of income/(loss) before income taxes and equity in net income of affiliates, were: Year Ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 UK $ 547 $ (21 ) $ (30 ) Non-UK 11 368 468 Income/(loss) before income taxes and equity in net income/(loss) of affiliates $ 558 $ 347 $ 438
Provision for Income Taxes Attributable to Income Before Income Taxes and Equity in Net Income of Affiliates	The provision for income taxes attributable to the income/(loss) before income taxes and equity in net income/(loss) of affiliates consisted of: Year Ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Current: UK $ — $ — $ — Non-UK . 114 133 (128 ) 114 133 (128 ) Deferred: UK 2 21 (2 ) Non-UK (118 ) (10 ) (11 ) (116 ) 11 (13 ) Total $ (2 ) $ 144 $ (141 )
Schedule of Provision for Income Taxes as Per UK Federal Income Tax Rates	The Company’s provision for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 was different from the amount computed by applying the statutory UK federal income tax rates to the underlying income/(loss) before income taxes and equity in net income/(loss) of affiliates as a result of the following: Year Ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Income before income taxes and equity in net income of affiliates $ 558 $ 347 $ 438 UK statutory tax rate 19.00 % 19.00 % 19.00 % Provision for income taxes at the UK statutory Rate $ 106 $ 66 $ 83 Effect of operations in non-UK jurisdictions 17 (4 ) 18 Tax impact of global licensing arrangements — (4 ) (4 ) U.S. state and local taxation 23 23 28 Base erosion and anti-abuse tax — 4 49 Withholding and other taxation — 18 8 Effect of global financing activities 4 2 (7 ) Changes in estimates for uncertain tax positions and audit settlements (1) (10 ) 4 (266 ) Changes in valuation allowances (91 ) 8 (104 ) Effect of change in deferred tax rates (11 ) 5 46 Tax impact of post-retirement settlements — — 17 Research & development credit ) (5) (4 ) Excess tax benefits on prior period employee compensation (11 ) — — Reversal of prior period outside basis differences (17 ) — — Other, net (3 ) 27 (5 ) Total (benefit)/provision for income taxes $ (2 ) $ 144 $ (141 ) Effective tax rate (0.4 )% 41.5 % (32.2. )% (1) The $266 million benefit for 2019 is primarily the result of settlement of the 2015 US tax audit and the lapsing of statutes of limitations for years prior.
Components of Current and Non-Current Deferred Income Tax Assets/(Liabilities)	The components of current and non-current deferred income tax assets/(liabilities) were: December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 Deferred tax assets: Net operating loss carryforwards $ 733 $ 354 Capital loss carryforwards 99 55 Interest expense limitation 253 265 Employee benefits 28 36 Tax credit carryforwards 109 191 Share-based payments 5 10 Accrued expenses 4 19 Lease liabilities 49 79 Deferred (revenues)/costs 5 — Deferred compensation 23 — Financial instruments 9 18 Other assets 34 34 1,351 1,061 Valuation allowances (494 ) (560 ) Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowances 857 501 Deferred tax liabilities: Intangible assets (767 ) (912 ) Fixed asset and computer software depreciation (92 ) (209 ) Lease assets (39 ) (59 ) Outside basis difference in subsidiary (406 ) — Unremitted earnings — (8 ) Unrealized gain on investments — (50 ) Deferred (revenues)/costs — (7 ) Deferred compensation — (4 ) Other liabilities (59 ) (87 ) (1,363 ) (1,336 ) Net deferred tax liability $ (506 ) $ (835 )
Schedule of Reconciliation of Beginning and Ending Amount of Gross Uncertain Tax Positions	A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of gross uncertain tax positions is as follows: December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Balance as of the beginning of period $ 128 $ 136 $ 374 Additions for current year tax positions 1 1 2 Additions for tax positions of prior years 41 — 12 Reductions for lapses of statute of limitations (4 ) (1 ) (252 ) Reductions for tax positions of prior years (5 ) (8 ) — Balance as of the end of the period $ 161 $ 128 $ 136

Commitments and Contingencies (

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Minimum Annual Payments under Nielsen's Purchase Obligations	The amounts presented below represent the minimum annual payments under Nielsen’s purchase obligations that have initial or remaining non-cancelable terms in excess of one year. These purchase obligations include data processing, building maintenance, equipment purchasing, photocopiers, land and mobile telephone service, computer software and hardware maintenance, and outsourcing. For the Years Ending December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Thereafter Total Operating leases $ 57 $ 42 $ 25 $ 14 $ 11 $ 47 $ 196 Other contractual obligations (a) 148 37 20 19 2 - 226 Total $ 205 $ 79 $ 45 $ 33 $ 13 $ 47 $ 422 (a) Other contractual obligations represent obligations under agreement, which are not unilaterally cancelable by Nielsen, are legally enforceable and specify fixed or minimum amounts or quantities of goods or services at fixed or minimum prices. Nielsen generally requires purchase orders for vendor and third party spending. The amounts presented above represent the minimum future annual services covered by purchase obligations including data processing, cloud services, building maintenance, equipment purchasing, photocopiers, land and mobile telephone service, computer software and hardware maintenance, and outsourcing including cloud services

Segments (Tables)

Segments (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Business Segment Information	Segment Information (IN MILLIONS) Year Ended December 31, 2021 2020 2019 Revenues $ 3,500 $ 3,361 $ 3,441 Operating income 872 679 870 Depreciation and amortization 512 550 465 Impairment of other long-lived assets — 146 — Restructuring charges 13 37 30 Share-based compensation expense 36 34 32 Dis-synergy costs (1) — (70 ) (70 ) Other items (2) 58 35 58 Adjusted EBITDA (3) $ 1,491 $ 1,411 $ 1,385 Total Assets: Total assets $ 10,820 $ 11,146 (1 ) Costs to stand-up Nielsen as a standalone company including incremental real estate, IT/infrastructure, transition services agreements (TSAs) and commercial arrangements (2) Other items primarily consist of legal settlements and related fees, business optimization costs and transaction related costs for the year ended December 31, 2021. Other Items primarily consists of business optimization costs, including strategic review costs and transaction related costs for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. (3 ) The Company’s chief operating decision-maker uses Adjusted EBITDA to measure performance and allocate resources from period to period. Year ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Capital expenditures $ 316 $ 305 $ 328
Geographical Segment Information	Geographic Segment Information Operating Long- Income/ Lived (IN MILLIONS) Revenues (1) (Loss) Assets (2) 2021 U.S. $ 2,886 $ 836 $ 8,684 North and South America, excluding the U.S. 56 10 75 United Kingdom 67 (18 ) 79 Other Europe, Middle East & Africa 265 (23 ) 402 Asia Pacific 226 67 94 Total $ 3,500 $ 872 $ 9,334 Operating Long- Income/ Lived (IN MILLIONS) Revenues (1) (Loss) Assets (2) 2020 U.S. $ 2,831 $ 690 $ 9,017 North and South America, excluding the U.S. 48 2 81 United Kingdom 59 (15 ) 84 Other Europe, Middle East & Africa 231 (49 ) 355 Asia Pacific 192 51 76 Total $ 3,361 $ 679 $ 9,613 Operating Income/ (IN MILLIONS) Revenues (1) (Loss) 2019 U.S. $ 2,880 $ 805 North and South America, excluding the U.S. 53 2 United Kingdom 62 (18 ) Other Europe, Middle East & Africa 236 20 Asia Pacific 210 61 Total $ 3,441 $ 870 (1) Revenues are attributed to geographic areas based on the location of customers. (2) Long-lived assets include property, plant and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets.

Additional Financial Informat_2

Additional Financial Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Accounts Payable and Other Current Liabilities	Accounts payable and other current liabilities December 31, December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 Trade payables $ 29 $ 94 Personnel costs 130 107 Data and professional services 56 28 Interest payable 74 56 Other current liabilities (1) 189 214 Total accounts payable and other current liabilities $ 478 $ 499 (1) Other includes multiple items, none of which is individually significant.

Discontinued Operations (Tables

Discontinued Operations (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Discontinued Operations And Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Schedule of Discontinued Operations	The following table summarizes the major classes of line items constituting net income from discontinued operations, net of tax: Years Ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Operations Revenues $ 452 $ 2,929 $ 3,057 Cost of revenues, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below 264 1,525 1,631 Selling, general and administrative expenses, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below 229 1,158 1,044 Depreciation and amortization 36 314 291 Impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets (1) — 38 1,004 Restructuring charges 6 107 50 Operating loss (83 ) (213 ) (963 ) Other expenses (2) (15 ) (60 ) (138 ) Loss from discontinued operations before income taxes (98 ) (273 ) (1,101 ) Benefit for income taxes 21 77 119 Net loss from discontinued operations $ (77 ) $ (196 ) $ (982 ) Disposal Gain on disposal before income taxes $ 367 $ — $ — Benefit for income taxes (3) 122 — — Gain on disposal, net of taxes 489 — — Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations 412 (196 ) (982 ) Net income from discontinued operations attributable to noncontrolling interests — — — Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations attributable to Nielsen shareholders $ 412 $ (196 ) $ (982 ) (1) Includes a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $1,004 million. (2) The Company’s Sixth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement entered into in July 2020 and the Credit Agreement entered into in June 2020, as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto in July 2020, required $1.3 billion of senior secured term loans to be repaid pursuant to the debt covenants that triggered as a result of the Connect Transaction. As such, the Company elected to allocate interest expense to discontinued operations of $8 million, $38 million and $46 for the years ended December 30, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Other expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019 included non-cash expenses of $164 million for pension settlements which included plan transfers to third parties in the Netherlands, where we terminated our responsibility for future defined benefit obligations and transferred that responsibility to third parties. (3) The company recorded a $122 million tax benefit associated with the US pre-tax loss on sale; the non-US gain on sale was not subject to tax. For the three year period ended December 31, 2021, the Company has incurred $162 million in separation costs related to the sale of Global Connect, of which approximately $37 million, $123 million and $2 million are reflected in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations as discontinued operations for the years ended December 30, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. These costs are comprised primarily of professional fees (e.g., legal, banking and accounting), as well as other items that are incremental and one-time in nature that are related to the sale of Global Connect. The following table summarizes the major classes of assets and liabilities of discontinued operations at December 31, 2020: December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2020 Assets: Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 110 Trade and other receivables, net of allowances for doubtful accounts and sales returns 689 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 265 Total current assets of discontinued operations 1,064 Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment, net 177 Operating lease right-of-use asset 217 Goodwill 360 Other intangible assets, net 807 Deferred tax assets 228 Other non-current assets 136 Total assets of discontinued operations $ 2,989 Liabilities: Current liabilities Accounts payable and other current liabilities $ 710 Deferred revenues 235 Income tax liabilities 27 Current portion of long-term debt, finance lease obligations and short-term borrowings 17 Total current liabilities of discontinued operations 989 Non-current liabilities Long-term debt and finance lease obligations 1,330 Deferred tax liabilities 65 Operating lease liabilities 218 Other non-current liabilities 224 Total liabilities of discontinued operations $ 2,826 As of December 31, 2021, the consolidated balance sheet included $32 million of a receivable from Purchaser within prepaid expenses and other current assets as well as $2 million payable to Purchaser within accounts payable and other current liabilities and $17 million within other non-current liabilities for liabilities to affiliates of Purchaser. These represent estimated receivables from and payables to affiliates of Purchaser under tax indemnification arrangements for certain liabilities to various taxing authorities that will be settled in future periods. The following table provides operating and investing cash flows for discontinued operations (in millions): For the year ended December 31, (IN MILLIONS) 2021 2020 2019 Net cash flows provided by/(used in) operating activities (1) $ (245) $ 63 $ 238 Net cash flows used in investing activities (26) (232 ) (207 ) (1) For the year ended net cash flows used in operating activities included $8 million of net payments under the tax indemnification arrangements.

Description of Business, Basi_3

Description of Business, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	Mar. 05, 2021USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)Countryshares	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)shares	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)shares	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)	Oct. 31, 2020USD ($)
Business And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Gain on disposal of Global Connect, net of tax, within discontinued operations		$ 489
Advertising and marketing expenses		$ 19	$ 5	$ 8
Anti-dilutive shares excluded from calculation of earning per share under compensation plan | shares		2,342,903	3,132,528	3,950,984
Accounts receivable sold to third parties		$ 10	$ 249		$ 318
Accounts receivable outstanding		0	30		66
Proceed from sale of accounts receivable		10	$ 249		$ 318
Connect
Business And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Gain on disposal of Global Connect, net of tax, within discontinued operations		489
Connect | Advent
Business And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Cash proceeds on sale of business						$ 2,700
Net proceeds from sale of business	$ 2,400
Gain on disposal of Global Connect, net of tax, within discontinued operations		$ 489
Minimum
Business And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Number of countries in which entity operates | Country		55
Equity method investments, percentage		20.00%
Maximum
Business And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Equity method investments, percentage		50.00%

Summary of Recent Accounting _2

Summary of Recent Accounting Pronouncements - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Change in accounting principle, accounting standards update, adopted	true
Change in accounting principle, accounting standards update, adoption date	Jan. 1, 2021
Change in accounting principle, accounting standards update, immaterial effect	true
Accounting standards update description	ASU No. 2019-12

Revenue Recognition - Summary o

Revenue Recognition - Summary of Revenue Disaggregated by Major Product Offerings and Timing of Revenue Recognition (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	[1]	$ 3,500	$ 3,361	$ 3,441
Operating Segments | Products Transferred at a Point in Time
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues		397	342	286
Operating Segments | Products and Services Transferred Over Time
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues		3,103	3,019	3,155
Media | Operating Segments
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues		3,500	3,361	3,441
Media | Operating Segments | Measurement
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues		2,545	2,455	2,471
Media | Operating Segments | Impact/Content
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues		$ 955	$ 906	$ 970
[1]	Revenues are attributed to geographic areas based on the location of customers.

Revenue Recognition - Summary_2

Revenue Recognition - Summary of Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Revenues [Abstract]
Contract assets	$ 97	$ 94
Contract liabilities	$ 131	$ 135

Revenue Recognition - Additiona

Revenue Recognition - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Revenues [Abstract]
Increase in contract with customer asset	$ 88,000,000
Contract with customer asset offset	84,000,000
Decrease in contract with customer liability	120,000,000
Contract with customer liability offset	120,000,000
Revenue, remaining performance obligation	$ 3,300,000,000
Revenue, remaining performance obligations, percentage	85.00%
Deferred costs capitalized	$ 31,000,000	$ 3,000,000
Amortization of deferred costs	0	0
Impairment loss	$ 0	$ 0

Revenue Recognition - Schedule

Revenue Recognition - Schedule of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Rollforward Incorporating Expected Credit Losses (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Allowance for accounts receivable
Balance Beginning of Period	$ 11	$ 8
Net Charges to Expense	(4)	7
Deductions		(4)
Effect of Foreign Currency Translation	(1)
Balance at End of Period	$ 6	$ 11

Business Acquisitions - Additio

Business Acquisitions - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Other acquisitions
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to acquire businesses, net of cash acquired	$ 20	$ 3	$ 45

Leases - Additional Information

Leases - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Lessee Lease Description [Line Items]
Recognized rental income received under subleases	$ 3	$ 0	$ 2
Aggregate future proceeds under sub-lease guarantees	$ 6
Minimum
Lessee Lease Description [Line Items]
Operating and Finance leases, remaining lease terms	1 year
Maximum
Lessee Lease Description [Line Items]
Operating and Finance leases, remaining lease terms	20 years
Operating and Financing leases, options to extend leases term	5 years
Operating and Finance leases, options to terminate leases term	1 year

Leases - Components of Lease Ex

Leases - Components of Lease Expense (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Finance lease cost:
Amortization of right-of-use assets	$ 44	$ 41	$ 40
Interest on lease liabilities	5	6	7
Total finance lease cost	49	47	47
Operating lease cost	55	52	44
Variable lease costs	2
Short-term lease costs	1		1
Sublease income	(5)	(1)	(2)
Total lease cost	$ 102	$ 98	$ 90

Leases - Supplemental Balance S

Leases - Supplemental Balance Sheet Information Related to Leases (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Operating leases
Operating lease right-of-use assets	$ 144	$ 161
Other current liabilities	$ 54	$ 50
Operating Lease Liability Current Statement Of Financial Position [Extensible List]	Other current liabilities	Other current liabilities
Operating lease liabilities	$ 126	$ 140
Total operating lease liabilities	180	190
Finance leases
Property, plant and equipment, gross	327	300
Accumulated depreciation	(220)	(175)
Property, plant and equipment, net	$ 107	$ 125
Finance Lease Right-of-Use Asset Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:OtherAssets	us-gaap:OtherAssets
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	$ 34	$ 39
Finance Lease, Liability, Current, Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:AccountsPayableAndAccruedLiabilitiesCurrent	us-gaap:AccountsPayableAndAccruedLiabilitiesCurrent
Long-term debt and finance lease obligations	$ 42	$ 59
Finance Lease Liability Noncurrent Statement Of Financial Position [Extensible List]	Long-term debt and finance lease obligations	Long-term debt and finance lease obligations
Total finance lease liabilities	$ 76	$ 98
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities
Operating cash flows used in finance leases	(5)	(6)
Operating cash flows used in operating leases	(66)	(41)
Financing cash flows used in finance leases	(45)	(44)
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities	26	32
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities	$ 29	$ 30
Weighted-average remaining lease term--finance leases	2 years	3 years
Weighted-average remaining lease term--operating leases	6 years	7 years
Weighted-average discount rate--finance leases	5.00%	5.20%
Weighted-average discount rate--operating leases	2.90%	4.00%
Other Intangible Assets
Finance leases
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$ 12	$ 11
Accumulated depreciation	(10)	(9)
Property, plant and equipment, net	$ 2	$ 2
Finance Lease Right-of-Use Asset Statement of Financial Position [Extensible List]	us-gaap:OtherAssets	us-gaap:OtherAssets

Leases - Schedule of Annual Mat

Leases - Schedule of Annual Maturities of Lease Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
Operating Leases, 2022	$ 57
Operating Leases, 2023	42
Operating Leases, 2024	25
Operating Leases, 2025	14
Operating Leases, 2026	11
Operating Leases, Thereafter	47
Operating Leases, Total lease payments	196
Operating Leases, Less imputed interest	(16)
Operating Leases, Total	180	$ 190
Finance Leases, 2022	38
Finance Leases, 2023	28
Finance Leases, 2024	11
Finance Leases, 2025	2
Finance Leases, Total lease payments	79
Finance Leases, Less imputed interest	(3)
Finance Leases, Total	$ 76	$ 98

Goodwill and Other Intangible_3

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill, impairment loss	$ 0
Goodwill deductible for income tax purposes	20,000,000
Impairment of intangible assets	0
Impairment of other intangibles net		$ 53,000,000
Amortization expense, intangible assets	412,000,000	444,000,000	$ 356,000,000
Amortization expense, computer software	269,000,000	292,000,000	199,000,000
Net book value	1,629,000,000
Connect
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Impairment of other intangibles net		$ 88,000,000
Purchased Software
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net book value	11,000,000
Internally Developed Software
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net book value	$ 614,000,000
Connect
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill, impairment loss			$ 1,004,000,000
Connect | Trade names and trademarks
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	20 years
Maximum
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Percentage of fair value exceeded carrying value	10.00%
Maximum | Trade names and trademarks
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	20 years
Maximum | Purchased Software
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	10 years
Minimum | Trade names and trademarks
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	5 years
Minimum | Purchased Software
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	3 years

Goodwill and Other Intangible_4

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Summary of Changes in Carrying Amount of Goodwill (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Balance beginning	$ 5,680	$ 5,662
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments	(62)	(3)
Effect of foreign currency translation	(19)	21
Balance ending	5,599	$ 5,680
Cumulative impairments	$ 376

Goodwill and Other Intangible_5

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Other Intangible Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	$ 4,582	$ 4,411
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	2,953	2,581
Amortized intangibles, Accumulated Amortization	$ (2,953)	(2,581)
Trade names and trademarks
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite Lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life	9 years
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	$ 110	128
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	96	110
Amortized intangibles, Accumulated Amortization	$ (96)	(110)
Trade names and trademarks | Minimum
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	5 years
Trade names and trademarks | Maximum
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	20 years
Customer - related intangibles
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite Lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life	20 years
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	$ 2,558	2,564
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	1,689	1,580
Amortized intangibles, Accumulated Amortization	$ (1,689)	(1,580)
Customer - related intangibles | Minimum
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	6 years
Customer - related intangibles | Maximum
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	25 years
Covenants-not-to-compete
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite Lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life	2 years
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	$ 26	26
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	26	26
Amortized intangibles, Accumulated Amortization	$ (26)	(26)
Covenants-not-to-compete | Minimum
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	1 year
Covenants-not-to-compete | Maximum
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	7 years
Content database
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite Lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life	12 years
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	$ 168	168
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	67	53
Amortized intangibles, Accumulated Amortization	$ (67)	(53)
Content database | Minimum
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	12 years
Content database | Maximum
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	16 years
Computer software
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite Lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life	5 years
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	$ 1,572	1,372
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	947	692
Amortized intangibles, Accumulated Amortization	$ (947)	(692)
Computer software | Minimum
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	3 years
Computer software | Maximum
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	10 years
Patents and other
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite Lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life	7 years
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	$ 148	153
Amortized intangibles, Gross Amounts	128	120
Amortized intangibles, Accumulated Amortization	$ (128)	(120)
Patents and other | Minimum
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	3 years
Patents and other | Maximum
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets license period	10 years
Trade names and trademarks
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Indefinite-lived intangibles, Gross Amounts	$ 1,833	$ 1,833

Goodwill and Other Intangible_6

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Summary of Estimated Future Amortization Expense (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
2022	$ 397
2023	322
2024	234
2025	155
2026	133
Thereafter	388
Total	$ 1,629

Changes in and Reclassificati_3

Changes in and Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss) by Component - Summary of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), Net of Tax by Component (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Balance	$ 2,243	$ 2,388	$ 3,043
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive(income)/loss	395	26
Total other comprehensive income/(loss)	366	(100)	107
Balance	3,496	2,243	2,388
Currency Translation Adjustments
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Balance	(821)	(776)	(779)
Other comprehensive (loss)/income before reclassifications	(60)	(45)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive(income)/loss	233
Total other comprehensive income/(loss)	173
Net current period other comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interest	(1)
Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to Nielsen shareholders	174	(45)
Balance	(647)	(821)	(776)
Cash Flow Hedges
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Balance	(39)	(19)
Other comprehensive (loss)/income before reclassifications	3	(37)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive(income)/loss	18	17
Total other comprehensive income/(loss)	21
Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to Nielsen shareholders	21	(20)
Balance	(18)	(39)	(19)
Post Employment Benefits
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Balance	(245)	(210)	(342)
Other comprehensive (loss)/income before reclassifications	28	(44)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive(income)/loss	144	9
Total other comprehensive income/(loss)	172
Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to Nielsen shareholders	172	(35)
Balance	(73)	(245)	(210)
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Balance	(1,105)	(1,005)
Other comprehensive (loss)/income before reclassifications	(29)	(126)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive(income)/loss	395	26
Total other comprehensive income/(loss)	366
Net current period other comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interest	(1)
Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to Nielsen shareholders	367	(100)
Balance	$ (738)	$ (1,105)	$ (1,005)

Changes in and Reclassificati_4

Changes in and Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss) by Component - Summary of Reclassification of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss by Component (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations, Net of Tax	$ (412)	$ 196	$ 982
(Benefit)/provision for income taxes	(2)	144	(141)
Net income attributable to Nielsen stockholders	(963)	6	415
Other expense, net	24	20	$ 77
Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss/(Income)	395	26
Currency Translation Losses on Dispositions
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations, Net of Tax	233
Cash Flow Hedges
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss/(Income)	18	17
Cash Flow Hedges | Interest rate contracts | Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Income)/Loss
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Interest (income)/expense	25	23
(Benefit)/provision for income taxes	(7)	(6)
Net income attributable to Nielsen stockholders	18	17
Amortization of Actuarial Loss | Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Income)/Loss
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
(Benefit)/provision for income taxes	(11)	(8)
Net income attributable to Nielsen stockholders	3	9
Other expense, net	14	17
Unrealized (Gains)/Losses on Pension Liability on Dispositions
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations, before Tax	141
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), Net Post Employment Benefits
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss/(Income)	$ 144	$ 9

Changes in and Reclassificati_5

Changes in and Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss) by Component - Summary of Reclassification of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss by Component (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income	$ (395)	$ (26)
Connect
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income	374
Currency Translation Adjustments | Connect
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income	233
Unrealized (Gains)/Losses on Pension Liability on Dispositions | Connect
Reclassification Adjustment Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income	$ 141

Property, Plant and Equipment -

Property, Plant and Equipment - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Impairment of property plant and equipment	$ 0	$ 5,000,000
Depreciation and amortization expense from operations	93,000,000	90,000,000	$ 91,000,000
Depreciation and amortization	548,000,000	864,000,000	756,000,000
Finance lease and other financing obligations
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation and amortization	$ 42,000,000	$ 37,000,000	$ 40,000,000

Property, Plant and Equipment_2

Property, Plant and Equipment - Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$ 856	$ 760
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	(583)	(490)
Property, plant and equipment, net	273	270
Land and buildings
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$ 177	174
Land and buildings | Minimum
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Life	25 years
Land and buildings | Maximum
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Life	50 years
Information and communication equipment
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$ 649	567
Information and communication equipment | Minimum
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Life	3 years
Information and communication equipment | Maximum
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Life	10 years
Furniture, equipment and other
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, gross	$ 30	$ 19
Furniture, equipment and other | Minimum
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Life	3 years
Furniture, equipment and other | Maximum
Property Plant And Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Life	10 years

Fair Value Measurements - Addit

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Impairment charges on investments	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Amount of income/(loss) reclassified from accumulated other comprehensiveincome/(loss) into income as a result that a forecasted transaction is no longerprobable of occurring, net of tax	0
Pre-tax gain (loss) from accumulated other comprehensive loss to interest expense expected to be recognized in next twelve months	(17,000,000)
Forward Interest Rate Swaps
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Notional amount of outstanding derivative financial instruments	1,050,000,000
Foreign Currency Exchange Contract
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Notional amount of outstanding derivative financial instruments	29,000,000	68,000,000
Gain (loss) on derivative financial instruments	$ (1,000,000)	$ (2,000,000)

Fair Value Measurements - Finan

Fair Value Measurements - Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2021		Mar. 05, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Warrant
Assets:
Asset		$ 6		$ 5
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Assets:
Asset		31			$ 26
Liabilities:
Liabilities		46			76
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Plan Assets for Deferred Compensation
Assets:
Asset	[1]	24			24
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Investment in Mutual Funds
Assets:
Asset	[2]	1			2
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Warrant
Assets:
Asset		6
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Interest Rate Swap Arrangements
Liabilities:
Liabilities		22	[3]		52	[4]
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Deferred Compensation Liabilities
Liabilities:
Liabilities	[5]	24			24
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Level 1
Assets:
Asset		25			26
Liabilities:
Liabilities		24			24
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Level 1 | Plan Assets for Deferred Compensation
Assets:
Asset	[1]	24			24
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Level 1 | Investment in Mutual Funds
Assets:
Asset	[2]	1			2
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Level 1 | Deferred Compensation Liabilities
Liabilities:
Liabilities	[5]	24			24
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Level 2
Liabilities:
Liabilities		22			52
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Level 2 | Interest Rate Swap Arrangements
Liabilities:
Liabilities		22	[3]		$ 52	[4]
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Level 3
Assets:
Asset		6
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Level 3 | Warrant
Assets:
Asset		$ 6
[1]	Plan assets are comprised of investments in mutual funds, which are intended to fund liabilities arising from deferred compensation plans. These investments are carried at fair value, which is based on quoted market prices at period end in active markets. These investments are classified as equity securities with any gains or losses resulting from changes in fair value recorded in other income/(expense), net in the consolidated statement of operations.
[2]	Investments in mutual funds are money-market accounts held with the intention of funding certain specific retirement plans.
[3]	Derivative financial instruments include interest rate swap arrangements recorded at fair value based on externally-developed valuation models that use readily observable market parameters and the consideration of counterparty risk.
[4]	The estimated fair value of the Connect Warrant issued March 5, 2021 of $5 million was part of the proceeds related to the sale of Global Connect and included in the net gain on sale of Global Connect. The Connect Warrant is marked-to-market each reporting period with the subsequent change in fair value recorded to other income/(expense), net in the  consolidated statement of operations.  The Connect Warrant is reported within other non-current assets within the consolidated balance sheet.  The fair value of the Connect Warrant asset is estimated using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model and had an estimated fair value of $6 million as of December 31, 2021.
[5]	The Company offers certain employees the opportunity to participate in a deferred compensation plan. A participant’s deferrals are invested in a variety of participant directed stock and bond mutual funds and are classified as equity securities. Changes in the fair value of these securities are measured using quoted prices in active markets based on the market price per unit multiplied by the number of units held exclusive of any transaction costs. A corresponding adjustment for changes in fair value of the equity securities is also reflected in the changes in fair value of the deferred compensation obligation.

Fair Value Measurements - Fin_2

Fair Value Measurements - Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Mar. 05, 2021
Warrant
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Estimated fair value	$ 6	$ 5

Fair Value Measurements - Summa

Fair Value Measurements - Summary of U.S Dollar Term Loan to Fixed Rate Outstanding Interest Rate Swaps (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)
US Dollar term loan floating-to-fixed rate swaps maturing on July 2021
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Notional Amount	$ 250,000,000
Maturity Date	2022-07
Interest Rates	2.00%
US Dollar term loan floating-to-fixed rate swaps maturing on April 2023
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Notional Amount	$ 150,000,000
Maturity Date	2023-04
Interest Rates	2.26%
US Dollar term loan floating-to-fixed rate swaps maturing on May 2023
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Notional Amount	$ 250,000,000
Maturity Date	2023-05
Interest Rates	2.72%
US Dollar term loan floating-to-fixed rate swaps maturing on June 2023
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Notional Amount	$ 250,000,000
Maturity Date	2023-06
Interest Rates	2.07%
US Dollar term loan floating-to-fixed rate swaps maturing on July 2023
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Notional Amount	$ 150,000,000
Maturity Date	2023-07
Interest Rates	1.82%

Fair Value Measurements - Sched

Fair Value Measurements - Schedule of Effect of Cash Flow Hedge Accounting on Consolidated Statement of Operations (Detail) - Interest Expense - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Interest expense (Location in the consolidated statement of operations in which the effects of cash flow hedges are recorded)	$ 285	$ 331	$ 348
Amount of (gain)/loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) into income, net of tax	$ 18	$ 17	$ (7)

Fair Value Measurements - Fair

Fair Value Measurements - Fair Values of Derivative Instruments in Consolidated Balance Sheets (Detail) - Interest Rate Swap Arrangements - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Account Payable And Other Current Liabilities
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Liabilities	$ 4	$ 4
Other Non-Current Liabilities
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Liabilities	$ 18	$ 48

Fair Value Measurements - Deriv

Fair Value Measurements - Derivatives in Effective Cash Flow Hedging Relationships (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Interest Rate Swap Arrangements
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Amount of (Gain)/Loss Recognized in OCI on Derivatives	$ (5)	$ 52	$ 33
Interest Expense
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Amount of (Gain)/Loss Reclassified from OCI into Income	$ 25	$ 23	$ (9)

Restructuring Activities - Addi

Restructuring Activities - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	$ 13	$ 37	$ 30
Broad Based Optimization Plan
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	13	$ 37
Real Estate Consolidation
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	$ 13

Restructuring Activities - Summ

Restructuring Activities - Summary of Changes in Liabilities for Restructuring Activities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020		Dec. 31, 2019
Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]
Beginning Balance		$ 14	$ 9		$ 22
Reclassification of ASC 420 real estate restructuring to right-of -use asset	[1]				(14)
Charges			30	[2]	20	[3]
Non-cash charges and other adjustments		(2)			1
Payments		$ (12)	(25)		(20)
Ending Balance			$ 14		$ 9
[1]	Upon adoption of ASC 842, the real estate operating lease ASC 420 liabilities were reclassified and presented as a reduction of the related operating lease right-of-use asset.
[2]	Excludes charges related to operating lease right-of-use assets of $7 million. Includes $7 million of adjustments related to changes in a plan to exit a business.
[3]	Excludes charges related to operating lease right-of-use assets of $10 million.

Restructuring Activities - Su_2

Restructuring Activities - Summary of Changes in Liabilities for Restructuring Activities (Parenthetical) (Detail) - Operating Lease Right-of-use Assets - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	$ 13	$ 7	$ 10
Business Exit
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges		$ 7

Pensions and Other Post-Retir_3

Pensions and Other Post-Retirement Benefits - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)shares	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)RetireesandBeneficiary
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average expected long term rate of return	5.80%	6.50%	6.70%
Defined benefit plan pension obligations	$ 1	$ 1
Actuarial gain	19	$ (50)
Actuarial gain changes in financial assumptions	20
Actuarial loss updated mortality tables	$ (1)
Settlement loss recognized			$ 6
Weighted average asset allocations	100.00%	100.00%
Defined contribution plan expenses	$ 26	$ 22	33
Contributions made in shares by the employer | shares	0
Maximum
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Percentage of contribution by the employer	3.00%
Equity securities
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	53.00%	55.00%
Equity securities | Maximum
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	53.00%
Fixed income securities
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	44.00%	41.00%
Fixed income securities | Maximum
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	44.00%
Other securities
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	3.00%	4.00%
Other securities | Maximum
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	3.00%
Other Income/Expense
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Defined benefit plan, settlement income/expense			$ 6
United States
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Defined benefit plan assumptions used in calculations, basis point	0.50%
Pension expense	$ 1
Weighted average expected long term rate of return	6.00%	6.50%	6.70%
Actuarial gain	$ 16	$ (46)
Weighted average asset allocations	100.00%	100.00%
Expected contributions to the pension plans in 2022	$ 10
United States | Equity securities
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	55.00%	57.00%
United States | Fixed income securities
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	45.00%	43.00%
UK
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Defined benefit plan pension obligations			$ 53
Number of retirees and beneficiaries | RetireesandBeneficiary			125
Settlement loss recognized			$ 6
Other
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Expected contributions to the pension plans in 2022	$ 3

Pensions and Other Post-Retir_4

Pensions and Other Post-Retirement Benefits - Summary of Pension Plans (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Change in projected benefit obligation
Benefit obligation at beginning of period	$ 456	$ 380
Service cost	3	3
Interest cost	8	12	$ 14
Plan participants’ contributions	1
Actuarial (gain)/loss	(19)	50
Benefits paid	(15)	(16)
Settlements	(1)	(1)
Other		26
Effect of foreign currency translation	(1)	2
Benefit obligation at end of period	432	456	380
Change in plan assets
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of period	323	271
Actual return on plan assets	23	41
Employer contributions	14	13
Plan participants’ contributions	1
Benefits paid	(15)	(16)
Settlements	(1)	(1)
Other		15
Fair value of plan assets at end of period	345	323	271
Funded status	(87)	(133)
Amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Current liabilities	(1)
Accrued benefit liability included in other non-current liabilities	(86)	(133)
Net amount recognized	(87)	(133)
Amounts recognized in Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax
Net (gain)/loss	(25)	27
Settlement loss		(1)
Amortization of net loss	(14)	(10)
Total recognized in other comprehensive (income)/loss	(39)	16
Amounts not yet reflected in net periodic benefit cost and included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax
Unrecognized losses	106	140
United States
Change in projected benefit obligation
Benefit obligation at beginning of period	419	378
Interest cost	7	11	14
Actuarial (gain)/loss	(16)	46
Benefits paid	(14)	(16)
Benefit obligation at end of period	396	419	378
Change in plan assets
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of period	305	270
Actual return on plan assets	23	40
Employer contributions	11	11
Benefits paid	(14)	(16)
Fair value of plan assets at end of period	325	305	270
Funded status	(71)	(114)
Amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Current liabilities	(1)
Accrued benefit liability included in other non-current liabilities	(70)	(114)
Net amount recognized	(71)	(114)
Amounts recognized in Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax
Net (gain)/loss	(23)	23
Amortization of net loss	(13)	(11)
Total recognized in other comprehensive (income)/loss	(36)	12
Amounts not yet reflected in net periodic benefit cost and included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax
Unrecognized losses	99	135
Other
Change in projected benefit obligation
Benefit obligation at beginning of period	37
Service cost	3
Interest cost	1
Plan participants’ contributions	1
Actuarial (gain)/loss	(3)
Benefits paid	(1)
Settlements	(1)
Effect of foreign currency translation	(1)
Benefit obligation at end of period	36	37
Change in plan assets
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of period	18
Employer contributions	3
Plan participants’ contributions	1
Benefits paid	(1)
Settlements	(1)
Fair value of plan assets at end of period	20	18
Funded status	(16)
Amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Accrued benefit liability included in other non-current liabilities	(16)
Net amount recognized	(16)
Amounts recognized in Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax
Net (gain)/loss	(2)
Amortization of net loss	(1)
Total recognized in other comprehensive (income)/loss	(3)
Amounts not yet reflected in net periodic benefit cost and included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax
Unrecognized losses	7
Other
Change in projected benefit obligation
Benefit obligation at beginning of period	37	2
Service cost	3	3
Interest cost	1	1
Actuarial (gain)/loss		4
Settlements		(1)
Other		26
Effect of foreign currency translation		2
Benefit obligation at end of period		37	2
Change in plan assets
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of period	$ 18	1
Actual return on plan assets		1
Employer contributions		2
Settlements		(1)
Other		15
Fair value of plan assets at end of period		18	$ 1
Funded status		(19)
Amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Accrued benefit liability included in other non-current liabilities		(19)
Net amount recognized		(19)
Amounts recognized in Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax
Net (gain)/loss		4
Settlement loss		(1)
Amortization of net loss		1
Total recognized in other comprehensive (income)/loss		4
Amounts not yet reflected in net periodic benefit cost and included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss), before tax
Unrecognized losses		$ 5

Pensions and Other Post-Retir_5

Pensions and Other Post-Retirement Benefits - Total Accumulated Benefit Obligation and Minimum Liability Changes For Pension Plans (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation	$ 425	$ 450	$ 380
Accumulated Benefit Obligation
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation	420	443
Fair value of plan assets	338	317
Projected Benefit Obligation
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Projected benefit obligation	431	455
Fair value of plan assets	344	322
Other | Accumulated Benefit Obligation
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation	24	24
Fair value of plan assets	13	12
Other | Projected Benefit Obligation
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Projected benefit obligation	35	36
Fair value of plan assets	19	17
United States | Accumulated Benefit Obligation
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation	396	419
Fair value of plan assets	325	305
United States | Projected Benefit Obligation
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Projected benefit obligation	396	419
Fair value of plan assets	$ 325	$ 305

Pensions and Other Post-Retir_6

Pensions and Other Post-Retirement Benefits - Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Service cost	$ 3	$ 3
Interest cost	8	12	$ 14
Expected return on plan assets	(17)	(17)	(17)
Settlement loss recognized			6
Amortization of net loss	14	11	6
Net periodic pension cost	8	9	9
UNITED STATES
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Interest cost	7	11	14
Expected return on plan assets	(15)	(17)	(17)
Amortization of net loss	13	11	6
Net periodic pension cost	5	5	3
Other International Regions
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Service cost	3	3
Interest cost	1	1
Expected return on plan assets	(2)
Settlement loss recognized			6
Amortization of net loss	1
Net periodic pension cost	$ 3	$ 4	$ 6

Pensions and Other Post-Retir_7

Pensions and Other Post-Retirement Benefits - Weighted Average Assumptions Underlying Pension Computations (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Net periodic pension costs:
Weighted average expected long term rate of return	5.80%	6.50%	6.70%
United States
Pension benefit obligation:
Pension benefit obligation - discount rate	2.90%	2.50%	3.40%
Net periodic pension costs:
Net periodic pension costs - discount rate	2.90%	3.40%	4.40%
Weighted average expected long term rate of return	6.00%	6.50%	6.70%
Other
Pension benefit obligation:
Pension benefit obligation - discount rate	2.00%	1.50%	1.90%
Pension benefit obligation - rate of compensation increase	3.20%	1.30%	1.10%
Net periodic pension costs:
Net periodic pension costs - discount rate	1.50%	1.80%	2.50%
Net periodic pension costs - rate of compensation increase	3.10%	1.00%	1.10%
Weighted average expected long term rate of return	3.70%	3.90%	4.20%
The Netherlands
Pension benefit obligation:
Pension benefit obligation - discount rate			1.90%
Pension benefit obligation - rate of compensation increase			1.10%
Net periodic pension costs:
Net periodic pension costs - discount rate			2.50%
Net periodic pension costs - rate of compensation increase			1.10%
Weighted average expected long term rate of return			4.20%

Pensions and Other Post-Retir_8

Pensions and Other Post-Retirement Benefits - Weighted Average Asset Allocation by Asset Category (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	100.00%	100.00%
Equity securities
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	53.00%	55.00%
Fixed income securities
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	44.00%	41.00%
Other securities
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	3.00%	4.00%
United States
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	100.00%	100.00%
United States | Equity securities
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	55.00%	57.00%
United States | Fixed income securities
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	45.00%	43.00%
Other
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	100.00%	100.00%
Other | Equity securities
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	23.00%	16.00%
Other | Fixed income securities
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	28.00%	21.00%
Other | Other securities
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Weighted average asset allocations	49.00%	63.00%

Pensions and Other Post-Retir_9

Pensions and Other Post-Retirement Benefits - Assets at Fair Value (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	$ 345	$ 323	$ 271
Level 1
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	216	203
Level 2
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	128	118
Level 3
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	1	2
Cash and equivalents
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	6	7
Cash and equivalents | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	6	7
Equity securities - U.S.
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	72	77
Equity securities - U.S. | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	70	70
Equity securities - U.S. | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	2	7
Equity securities - Global
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	49	44
Equity securities - Global | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	12	12
Equity securities - Global | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	37	32
Equity securities - non-U.S.
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	60	55
Equity securities - non-U.S. | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	60	55
Real estate
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	3	4
Real estate | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	2	2
Real estate | Level 3
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	1	2
Corporate bonds
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	151	134
Corporate bonds | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	127	114
Corporate bonds | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	24	20
Debt issued by national, state or local government
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	1
Debt issued by national, state or local government | Level 1
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	1
Other
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	3	2
Other | Level 2
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total assets at fair value	$ 3	$ 2

Pensions and Other Post-Reti_10

Pensions and Other Post-Retirement Benefits - Summary of Changes in Fair Value of Pension Plans Level 3 Assets (Detail) - Level 3 - Real estate - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
Balance, beginning of year	$ 2	$ 1
Actual return on plan assets:
Effect of foreign currency translation	(1)	1
Balance, end of year	$ 1	$ 2

Pensions and Other Post-Reti_11

Pensions and Other Post-Retirement Benefits - Estimated Future Benefit Payments (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
2022	$ 19
2023	21
2024	21
2025	21
2026	22
2027-2031	117
United States
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
2022	17
2023	19
2024	19
2025	19
2026	20
2027-2031	104
Other
Pension Plans Postretirement And Other Employee Benefits [Line Items]
2022	2
2023	2
2024	2
2025	2
2026	2
2027-2031	$ 13

Long-term Debt and Other Fina_3

Long-term Debt and Other Financing Arrangements - Summary of Long-Term Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Weighted average interest rate	4.24%	4.26%
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount	$ 5,550	$ 6,862
Finance lease and other financing obligations	76	98
Total debt and other financing arrangements	5,626	6,960
Less: Current portion of long-term debt, finance lease and other financing obligations and other short-term borrowings	35	276
Long-term debt and finance lease obligations	5,591	6,684
Total long-term debt, Fair Value	$ 5,646	$ 7,119
Senior Secured Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Weighted average interest rate	2.10%	3.01%
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount	$ 2,093	$ 3,666
Total long-term debt, Fair Value	$ 2,094	$ 3,692
Senior Debenture Loans
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Weighted average interest rate	5.52%	5.69%
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount	$ 3,457	$ 3,196
Total long-term debt, Fair Value	3,552	3,427
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2023 | L+ 1.75%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount	742	754
Total long-term debt, Fair Value	742	752
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2023 | L+ 2.00%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount	1,351	1,603
Total long-term debt, Fair Value	1,352	1,602
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2023 | Euro L+ 2.50%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount		251
Total long-term debt, Fair Value		250
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2025 | Euro L+ 3.75%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount		639
Total long-term debt, Fair Value		654
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2025 | L+ 4.75%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount		419
Total long-term debt, Fair Value		434
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount		150
Total long-term debt, Fair Value		151
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount		824
Total long-term debt, Fair Value		828
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount	498	498
Total long-term debt, Fair Value	507	514
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2028
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount	987	985
Total long-term debt, Fair Value	1,031	1,088
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2030
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount	740	739
Total long-term debt, Fair Value	785	$ 846
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2029
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount	616
Total long-term debt, Fair Value	613
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2031
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, Carrying Amount	616
Total long-term debt, Fair Value	$ 616

Long-term Debt and Other Fina_4

Long-term Debt and Other Financing Arrangements - Summary of Long-Term Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($)	May 28, 2021	Apr. 10, 2021	Mar. 21, 2021	Mar. 16, 2021	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, maturity year				2023
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2023 | L+ 1.75%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, variable rate					1.75%	1.75%
Debt instrument, maturity year					2023	2023
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2023 | L+ 2.00%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, variable rate					2.00%	2.00%
Debt instrument, maturity year					2023	2023
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2023 | Euro L+ 2.50%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, variable rate					2.50%	2.50%
Debt instrument, maturity year					2023	2023
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, maturity year				2025
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2025 | Euro L+ 3.75%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, variable rate					3.75%	3.75%
Debt instrument, maturity year					2025	2025
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2025 | L+ 4.75%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, variable rate					4.75%	4.75%
Debt instrument, maturity year					2025	2025
Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility Maturing in 2023 | L+ 1.75%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face value					$ 850,000,000	$ 850,000,000
Debt instrument, variable rate					1.75%	1.75%
Debt instrument, maturity year					2023	2023
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face value					$ 425,000,000	$ 425,000,000
Debt instrument, maturity year			2021		2021	2021
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage			5.50%		5.50%	5.50%
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face value					$ 825,000,000	$ 825,000,000
Debt instrument, maturity year		2022			2022	2022
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage		5.00%			5.00%	5.00%
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face value					$ 500,000,000	$ 500,000,000
Debt instrument, maturity year					2025	2025
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage					5.00%	5.00%
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2028
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face value					$ 1,000,000,000	$ 1,000,000,000
Debt instrument, maturity year					2028	2028
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage					5.625%	5.625%
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2030
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face value					$ 750,000,000	$ 750,000,000
Debt instrument, maturity year					2030	2030
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage					5.875%	5.875%
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2029
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face value	$ 625,000,000				$ 625,000,000	$ 625,000,000
Debt instrument, maturity year	2029				2029	2029
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage	4.50%				4.50%	4.50%
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2031
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face value	$ 625,000,000				$ 625,000,000	$ 625,000,000
Debt instrument, maturity year	2031				2031	2031
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage	4.75%				4.75%	4.75%

Long-Term Debt and Other Fina_5

Long-Term Debt and Other Financing Arrangements - Schedule of Long-Term Debt Currency Wise (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying Amount of Long Term Debt	$ 5,550	$ 6,862
U.S. Dollars
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying Amount of Long Term Debt	$ 5,550	5,972
Euro
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying Amount of Long Term Debt		$ 890

Long-term Debt and Other Fina_6

Long-term Debt and Other Financing Arrangements - Annual Maturities of Long-Term Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
2023	$ 2,093
2025	498
Thereafter	2,959
Total	$ 5,550	$ 6,862

Long-term Debt and Other Fina_7

Long-term Debt and Other Financing Arrangements - Additional Information (Detail) € in Millions	Jul. 21, 2021	May 28, 2021USD ($)	Apr. 10, 2021USD ($)	Mar. 21, 2021USD ($)	Mar. 16, 2021USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2021USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2021EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Redemption rate of senior notes equal to principal amount plus premium and accrued and unpaid interest					100.00%			101.00%	101.00%
Interest income								$ 0		$ 2,000,000	$ 6,000,000
Net restricted assets, subsidiary entities						$ 1,300,000,000		1,300,000,000
Letters of credit, outstanding						13,000,000		13,000,000		18,000,000
New revolving credit commitments
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, maximum borrowing capacity						850,000,000		850,000,000
Debt instrument, maturity date												2023-07
Revolving credit commitments
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowings, outstanding						0		0		0
Letters of credit, outstanding						13,000,000		13,000,000		$ 18,000,000
Debt instrument, remaining borrowing capacity						$ 837,000,000		$ 837,000,000
Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Leverage ratio						5.50%		5.50%
Total net debt to covenant EBITDA						5.00%		5.00%
March 2021 Redemptions
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Wrote-off certain previously deferred financing fees							$ 1,000,000	$ 7,500,000
May 2021 Redemptions
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Wrote-off certain previously deferred financing fees						$ 400,000		20,000,000
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Date of long term debt termination	Jun. 4, 2020
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2025 | L+ 4.75%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Prepayment of term loan								$ 430,000,000
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2025 | Euro L+ 3.75%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Prepayment of term loan | €									€ 530
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Prepayment of term loan						$ 250,000,000
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2023 | Euro L+ 2.50%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Prepayment of term loan | €									€ 204
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Prepayment of term loan					$ 1,000,000,000
Debt instrument, maturity year					2023
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2023 | Euro L+ 2.50%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, maturity year								2023	2023	2023
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Prepayment of term loan					$ 300,000,000
Debt instrument, maturity year					2025
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2025 | L+ 4.75%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, maturity year								2025	2025	2025
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Maturing in 2025 | Euro L+ 3.75%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, maturity year								2025	2025	2025
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, maturity year				2021				2021	2021	2021
Debt instrument redeemed principal amount				$ 150,000,000
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage				5.50%		5.50%		5.50%		5.50%
Redemption rate of senior notes equal to principal amount plus premium and accrued and unpaid interest				100.00%
Debt instrument face value						$ 425,000,000		$ 425,000,000		$ 425,000,000
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, maturity year			2022					2022	2022	2022
Debt instrument redeemed principal amount			$ 825,000,000
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage			5.00%			5.00%		5.00%		5.00%
Redemption rate of senior notes equal to principal amount plus premium and accrued and unpaid interest			100.00%
Debt instrument face value						$ 825,000,000		$ 825,000,000		$ 825,000,000
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2029
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, maturity year		2029						2029	2029	2029
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage		4.50%				4.50%		4.50%		4.50%
Debt instrument face value		$ 625,000,000				$ 625,000,000		$ 625,000,000		$ 625,000,000
Senior Debenture Loan Maturing in 2031
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, maturity year		2031						2031	2031	2031
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage		4.75%				4.75%		4.75%		4.75%
Debt instrument face value		$ 625,000,000				$ 625,000,000		$ 625,000,000		$ 625,000,000
Senior Debenture Loans
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Capitalized debt refinancing fees		$ 19,000,000

Shareholders' Equity - Common S

Shareholders' Equity - Common Stock Activity (Detail) - shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Actual number of shares of common stock outstanding
Beginning of period	357,644,935	356,149,883	355,271,737
Shares of common stock issued through compensation plans	1,589,317	1,519,384	835,057
Employee benefit trust activity	33,283	(24,332)	43,089
End of period	359,267,535	357,644,935	356,149,883

Shareholders' Equity - Addition

Shareholders' Equity - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Feb. 10, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Feb. 26, 2022
Stockholders Equity [Line Items]
Cash dividends paid		$ 86,000,000	$ 86,000,000
Dividends declared per common share		$ 0.24	$ 0.24	$ 1.11
Repurchases of common stock		0	0
Subsequent Event
Stockholders Equity [Line Items]
Declaration Date	Feb. 10, 2022
Dividends declared per common share	$ 0.06
Cash dividend, date to be Paid	Mar. 17, 2022
Cash dividend, recorded date	Mar. 3, 2022
Subsequent Event | Maximum
Stockholders Equity [Line Items]
Cost of treasury stock					$ 1,000,000,000

Share-based Compensation - Addi

Share-based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2016
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 36	$ 34	$ 32
Tax benefit related to the share-based compensation expense	6	$ 5	5
Number of shares authorized		10,420,826
Aggregate fair value of options vested	$ 1	$ 3	$ 5
Stock Incentive Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares authorized		7,200,000
2010 Stock Incentive Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares authorized		3,220,826
2016 Employee Share Purchase Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares authorized				2,000,000
Shares issued under the ESPP	60,634	266,984	201,637
Time-based stock options
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options exercised	0	0
Time-based stock options | Stock Incentive Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options granted	0	0	0
Time Based Awards
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Aggregate intrinsic value outstanding	$ 0
Stock options exercised			9,027
Time and Performance Based Stock Options
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options issued			0
Time and Performance Based Stock Options | Stock Incentive Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options granted	1,365,411	200,000	0
Weighted-average grant date fair value of the options granted	$ 7.69	$ 3.56
Unearned share-based compensation related to stock options	$ 6
Unearned share-based compensation, expected period to recognize	4 years
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Weighted-average grant date fair value of the options granted	$ 25.68	$ 17.14	$ 21.46
Unearned share-based compensation, expected period to recognize	2 years 8 months 12 days
Unearned stock-based compensation of RSUs	$ 17
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2021 Stock Incentive Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	4 years
Vesting description	6.25% per quarter
Vesting rate	6.25%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2021 Stock Incentive Plan | Over Four Years on Anniversary Date
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	4 years
Vesting rate	25.00%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2021 Stock Incentive Plan | First Three Years On Anniversary Date Per Quarter
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years
Vesting rate	8.33%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2021 Stock Incentive Plan | Over Two Years on Anniversary Date
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	2 years
Vesting rate	50.00%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2020 Stock Incentive Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	4 years
Vesting description	6.25% per quarter
Vesting rate	6.25%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2020 Stock Incentive Plan | First Anniversary Date of Award
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting rate	25.00%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2020 Stock Incentive Plan | Second Anniversary Date of Award
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting rate	75.00%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2020 Stock Incentive Plan | End of Second Anniversary Date of Award
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting rate	100.00%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2020 Stock Incentive Plan | Over Four Years on Anniversary Date
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	4 years
Vesting rate	25.00%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2020 Stock Incentive Plan | Over Two Years on Anniversary Date
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	2 years
Vesting rate	50.00%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2020 Stock Incentive Plan | Third Anniversary Date of Award
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting rate	100.00%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2019 Stock Incentive Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	4 years
Vesting description	6.25% per quarter
Vesting rate	6.25%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2019 Stock Incentive Plan | First Anniversary Date of Award
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting rate	25.00%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2019 Stock Incentive Plan | Second Anniversary Date of Award
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting rate	75.00%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2019 Stock Incentive Plan | End of Second Anniversary Date of Award
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting rate	100.00%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2019 Stock Incentive Plan | Over Four Years on Anniversary Date
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	4 years
Vesting rate	25.00%
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | 2019 Stock Incentive Plan | Over Two Years on Anniversary Date
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	2 years
Vesting rate	12.50%
PRSUs
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of Options, Granted	740,462	724,814	523,508
Weighted-Average Exercise Price, Granted	$ 28.65	$ 16.08	$ 24.62
Share based compensation arrangement required service period, years	3 years	2 years
Revenue target, percentage		50.00%
Adjusted earnings per share achieved, percentage		50.00%
Revenue compounded annual growth rate, Percentage		50.00%
Adjusted earnings per share, percentage		50.00%	50.00%

Share-based Compensation - Summ

Share-based Compensation - Summary of Stock Option Plan Activity (Detail) - Time Based Awards - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of Options, Outstanding beginning	2,890,142	3,514,317	4,631,836
Number of Options, Forfeited	(535,798)	(160,668)	(662,732)
Number of Options, Expired	(735,625)	(463,507)	(445,760)
Number of Options, Exercised			(9,027)
Number of Options, Outstanding ending		2,890,142	3,514,317	4,631,836
Number of Options, Exercisable Outstanding ending	1,618,719
Weighted-Average Exercise Price, Outstanding beginning	$ 45.91	$ 44.60	$ 43.20
Weighted-Average Exercise Price, Forfeited	51.52	48.74	46.31
Weighted-Average Exercise Price, Expired	41.92	35	28.09
Weighted-Average Exercise Price, Exercised			17.44
Weighted-Average Exercise Price, Outstanding ending		$ 45.91	$ 44.60	$ 43.20
Weighted-Average Exercise Price, Exercisable and Outstanding ending	$ 45.87
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term in Years		2 years 6 months 18 days	3 years 1 month 24 days	3 years 7 months 28 days
Exercisable and Outstanding Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term in Years	2 years 6 months 3 days

Share-based Compensation - Su_2

Share-based Compensation - Summary of Assumptions Used for Grants of Time and Performance Based Awards (Detail) - Time and Performance Based Stock Options	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Stock Based Compensation [Line Items]
Expected life (years)	5 years	5 years
Risk-free interest rate	0.89%
Expected dividend yield	0.92%
Expected volatility	37.06%
Weighted average volatility	37.06%	30.20%
Minimum
Stock Based Compensation [Line Items]
Risk-free interest rate		0.49%
Expected dividend yield		1.16%
Expected volatility		28.99%
Maximum
Stock Based Compensation [Line Items]
Risk-free interest rate		1.34%
Expected dividend yield		1.62%
Expected volatility		31.40%

Share-based Compensation - Su_3

Share-based Compensation - Summary of Restricted Stock Units (Detail) - Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of RSUs, Nonvested beginning	4,272,368	4,640,985	3,865,684
Number of RSUs, Granted	1,198,743	2,153,198	2,454,871
Number of RSUs, Forfeited	(1,150,836)	(496,497)	(692,718)
Number of RSUs, Vested	(2,135,117)	(2,025,318)	(986,852)
Number of RSUs, Nonvested ending	2,185,157	4,272,368	4,640,985
Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value, Outstanding beginning	$ 20.86	$ 25.10	$ 29.88
Weighted-Average Grant date Fair Value, Granted	25.68	17.14	21.46
Weighted-Average Grant date Fair Value, Forfeited	20.09	22.59	28.63
Weighted-Average Grant date Fair Value, Vested	22.70	26.38	33.60
Weighted-Average Grant date Fair Value, Outstanding ending	$ 22.02	$ 20.86	$ 25.10

Income Taxes - Components of In

Income Taxes - Components of Income/(loss) Before Income Taxes and Equity in Net Income(Loss) of Affiliates (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
UK	$ 547	$ (21)	$ (30)
Non-UK	11	368	468
Income from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in net loss of affiliates	$ 558	$ 347	$ 438

Income Taxes - Provision for In

Income Taxes - Provision for Income Taxes Attributable to Income/(loss) Before Income Taxes and Equity in Net Income/(loss) of Affiliates (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Current:
Non-UK .	$ 114	$ 133	$ (128)
Total current income tax provision	114	133	(128)
Deferred:
UK	2	21	(2)
Non-UK	(118)	(10)	(11)
Total deferred income tax provision	(116)	11	(13)
Total (benefit)/provision for income taxes	$ (2)	$ 144	$ (141)

Income Taxes - Schedule of Prov

Income Taxes - Schedule of Provision for Income Taxes as Per UK Federal Income Tax Rates (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income before income taxes and equity in net income of affiliates	$ 558	$ 347	$ 438
Provision for income taxes at the UK statutory Rate	106	66	83
Effect of operations in non-UK jurisdictions	17	(4)	18
Tax impact of global licensing arrangements		(4)	(4)
U.S. state and local taxation	23	23	28
Base erosion and anti-abuse tax		4	49
Withholding and other taxation		18	8
Effect of global financing activities	4	2	(7)
Changes in estimates for uncertain tax positions and audit settlements(1)	(10)	4	(266)
Changes in valuation allowances	(91)	8	(104)
Effect of change in deferred tax rates	(11)	5	46
Tax impact of post-retirement settlements			17
Research & development credit	(9)	(5)	(4)
Excess tax benefits on prior period employee compensation	(11)
Reversal of prior period outside basis differences	(17)
Other, net	(3)	27	(5)
Total (benefit)/provision for income taxes	$ (2)	$ 144	$ (141)
Effective tax rate	(0.40%)	41.50%
UK
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Statutory tax rate	19.00%	19.00%	19.00%

Income Taxes - Components of Cu

Income Taxes - Components of Current and Non-Current Deferred Income Tax Assets/(Liabilities) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Net operating loss carryforwards	$ 733	$ 354
Capital loss carryforwards	99	55
Interest expense limitation	253	265
Employee benefits	28	36
Tax credit carryforwards	109	191
Share-based payments	5	10
Accrued expenses	4	19
Lease liabilities	49	79
Deferred (revenues)/costs	5
Deferred compensation	23
Financial instruments	9	18
Other assets	34	34
Total deferred tax assets, gross	1,351	1,061
Valuation allowances	(494)	(560)
Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowances	857	501
Intangible assets	(767)	(912)
Fixed asset and computer software depreciation	(92)	(209)
Lease assets	(39)	(59)
Outside basis difference in subsidiary	(406)
Unremitted earnings		(8)
Unrealized gain on investments		(50)
Deferred (revenues)/costs		(7)
Deferred compensation		(4)
Other liabilities	(59)	(87)
Total deferred income tax liabilities	(1,363)	(1,336)
Net deferred tax liability	$ (506)	$ (835)

Income Taxes - Additional Infor

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax [Line Items]
Net operating loss carryforwards	$ 3,018	$ 1,485
Deferred tax assets, gross tax credit carry forwards	$ 109	191
Operating loss carryforwards year of expiration	2022
Tax credit carryforward expiration	2022
Valuation allowance on tax credit, loss carryforwards and deferred tax assets related to other temporary differences	$ 494	560
Liabilities for unrecognized income tax benefits	161	128	$ 136	$ 136	$ 374
Unrecognized tax benefits	7	$ 11
Unrecognized tax benefits that would impact effective tax rate	21
Minimum
Income Tax [Line Items]
Income tax uncertain tax positions reduction in next twelve months	131
Change in tax benefit	1
Maximum
Income Tax [Line Items]
Income tax uncertain tax positions reduction in next twelve months	139
Change in tax benefit	$ 9

Income Taxes - Schedule of Reco

Income Taxes - Schedule of Reconciliation of Beginning and Ending Amount of Gross Uncertain Tax Positions (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Balance as of the beginning of period	$ 128	$ 136	$ 374
Additions for current year tax positions	1	1	2
Additions for tax positions of prior years	41		12
Reductions for lapses of statute of limitations	(4)	(1)	(252)
Reductions for tax positions of prior years	(5)	(8)
Balance as of the end of the period	$ 161	$ 128	$ 136

Investments in Affiliates and_2

Investments in Affiliates and Related Party Transactions - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Investments In And Advances To Affiliates Schedule Of Investments [Abstract]
Investments in affiliates	$ 5	$ 11
Receivable from affiliates	$ 0	$ 2

Commitments and Contingencies -

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2021	Jul. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]
Effective date of agreement			Oct. 1, 2017
Purchase amended and restated agreement date		Jul. 1, 2019
Purchase amended and restated agreement effective date		Jan. 1, 2019
Remaining commitments amount				$ 875,000,000
Total expenses incurred under operating leases			$ 55,000,000	52,000,000	$ 44,000,000
Recognized rental income received under subleases			3,000,000	0	$ 2,000,000
Aggregate future proceeds under sub-lease guarantees			6,000,000
Letters of credit issued and outstanding			$ 13,000,000	$ 18,000,000
Services Per Year From 2021 Through 2024
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]
Commitment to purchase services		$ 184,000,000
Services 2021
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]
Commitment to purchase services	$ 45,000,000
Services Per Year From 2022 Through 2025
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]
Commitment to purchase services	17,000,000
Services 2025
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]
Commitment to purchase services		138,000,000
Commitment
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]
Purchase commitment, remaining minimum amount committed	$ 90,000,000	$ 1,400,000,000

Commitments and Contingencies_2

Commitments and Contingencies - Minimum Annual Payments under Nielsen's Purchase Obligations (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Operating Leases, 2022	$ 57
Operating Leases, 2023	42
Operating Leases, 2024	25
Operating Leases, 2025	14
Operating Leases, 2026	11
Operating Leases, Thereafter	47
Operating Leases, Total lease payments	196
Other contractual obligations, Year Ending December 31, 2022	148	[1]
Other contractual obligations, Year Ending December 31, 2023	37	[1]
Other contractual obligations, Year Ending December 31, 2024	20	[1]
Other contractual obligations, Year Ending December 31, 2025	19	[1]
Other contractual obligations, Year Ending December 31, 2026	2	[1]
Other contractual obligations, Total	226	[1]
Total, Year Ending December 31, 2022	205
Total, Year Ending December 31, 2023	79
Total, Year Ending December 31, 2024	45
Total, Year Ending December 31, 2025	33
Total, Year Ending December 31, 2026	13
Total, Thereafter	47
Total	$ 422
[1]	Other contractual obligations represent obligations under agreement, which are not unilaterally cancelable by Nielsen, are legally enforceable and specify fixed or minimum amounts or quantities of goods or services at fixed or minimum prices. Nielsen generally requires purchase orders for vendor and third party spending. The amounts presented above represent the minimum future annual services covered by purchase obligations including data processing, cloud services, building maintenance, equipment purchasing, photocopiers, land and mobile telephone service, computer software and hardware maintenance, and outsourcing including cloud services

Segments - Business Segment Inf

Segments - Business Segment Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Revenues	[1]	$ 3,500	$ 3,361	$ 3,441
Operating income		872	679	870
Depreciation and amortization		512	550	465
Impairment of other long-lived assets			146
Restructuring charges		13	37	30
Share-based compensation expense		36	34	32
Dis-synergy costs	[2]		(70)	(70)
Other items	[3]	58	35	58
Adjusted EBITDA	[4]	1,491	1,411	1,385
Assets:
Total assets		10,820	11,146
Capital expenditures		$ 316	$ 305	$ 328
[1]	Revenues are attributed to geographic areas based on the location of customers.
[2]	Costs to stand-up Nielsen as a standalone company including incremental real estate, IT/infrastructure, transition services agreements (TSAs) and commercial arrangements
[3]	Other items primarily consist of legal settlements and related fees, business optimization costs and transaction related costs for the year ended December 31, 2021.  Other Items primarily consists of business optimization costs, including strategic review costs and transaction related costs for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.
[4]	The Company’s chief operating decision-maker uses Adjusted EBITDA to measure performance and allocate resources from period to period.

Segments - Geographic Segment I

Segments - Geographic Segment Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	[1]	$ 3,500	$ 3,361	$ 3,441
Operating income		872	679	870
Long-lived Assets	[2]	9,334	9,613
United States
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	[1]	2,886	2,831	2,880
Operating income		836	690	805
Long-lived Assets	[2]	8,684	9,017
North and South America, excluding the U.S.
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	[1]	56	48	53
Operating income		10	2	2
Long-lived Assets	[2]	75	81
United Kingdom
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	[1]	67	59	62
Operating income		(18)	(15)	(18)
Long-lived Assets	[2]	79	84
Other Europe, Middle East & Africa
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	[1]	265	231	236
Operating income		(23)	(49)	20
Long-lived Assets	[2]	402	355
Asia Pacific
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	[1]	226	192	210
Operating income		67	51	$ 61
Long-lived Assets	[2]	$ 94	$ 76
[1]	Revenues are attributed to geographic areas based on the location of customers.
[2]	Long-lived assets include property, plant and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets.

Additional Financial Informat_3

Additional Financial Information - Accounts Payable and Other Current Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Trade payables		$ 29	$ 94
Personnel costs		130	107
Data and professional services		56	28
Interest payable		74	56
Other current liabilities	[1]	189	214
Total accounts payable and other current liabilities		$ 478	$ 499
[1]	Other includes multiple items, none of which is individually significant.

Discontinued Operations - Addit

Discontinued Operations - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 16, 2021	Mar. 05, 2021	Oct. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Apr. 10, 2021	Mar. 21, 2021
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on disposal of Global Connect, net of tax inclusive of closing adjustments				$ 489
Prepayment of debt				$ 3,882	$ 3,092	$ 57
Redemption rate of senior notes equal to principal amount plus premium and accrued and unpaid interest	100.00%			101.00%
Transition Services Agreement term			2 years
Transition Services Agreement extension option period			6 months
Facility Closing
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Separation cost, incurred				$ 162
Facility Closing | Discontinued Operations, Disposed of by Sale
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Separation cost, incurred				37	123	$ 2
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Due 2023
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Prepayment of debt	$ 1,000
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility Due 2025
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Prepayment of debt	$ 300
5.500% Senior Notes due 2021
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Debt instrument redeemed principal amount								$ 150
5.000% Senior Notes due 2022
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Debt instrument redeemed principal amount							$ 825
Connect
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Segment revenue percentage on consolidated revenues			50.00%
Gain (loss) on disposal of Global Connect, net of tax inclusive of closing adjustments				489
Accounts receivable from purchaser					$ 689
Connect | Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Accounts receivable from purchaser				32
Connect | Account Payable And Other Current Liabilities
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Liabilities payable to affiliates of purchaser				2
Connect | Other Non-Current Liabilities
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Liabilities payable to affiliates of purchaser				17
Connect | Advent
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Cash proceeds on sale of business			$ 2,700
Net proceeds from sale		$ 2,400
Gain (loss) on disposal of Global Connect, net of tax inclusive of closing adjustments				$ 489

Discontinued Operations - Summa

Discontinued Operations - Summary of Major Classes of Line Items Constituting Net Income from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	$ 13	$ 37	$ 30
Net loss from discontinued operations	(77)	(196)	(982)
Gain on disposal, net of taxes	489
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations	412	(196)	(982)
Connect
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Revenues	452	2,929	3,057
Cost of revenues, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	264	1,525	1,631
Selling, general and administrative expenses, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below	229	1,158	1,044
Depreciation and amortization	36	314	291
Impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets(1)		38	1,004
Restructuring charges	6	107	50
Operating loss	(83)	(213)	(963)
Other expenses	(15)	(60)	(138)
Loss from discontinued operations before income taxes	(98)	(273)	(1,101)
Benefit for income taxes	21	77	119
Net loss from discontinued operations	(77)	(196)	(982)
Gain on disposal before income taxes	367
Benefit for income taxes	122
Gain on disposal, net of taxes	489
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations	412	(196)	(982)
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations attributable to Nielsen shareholders	$ 412	$ (196)	$ (982)

Discontinued Operations - Sum_2

Discontinued Operations - Summary of Major Classes of Line Items Constituting Net Income from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Non-cash goodwill impairment		$ 0
Connect
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Non-cash goodwill impairment				$ 1,004,000,000
Debt repayment pursuant to the debt covenants triggered as a result of disposal	$ 1,300,000,000
Interest expense allocated to discontinued operations		8,000,000	$ 38,000,000	46,000,000
Tax benefit associated with the US pre-tax loss on sale		$ 122,000,000
Non-cash expenses of pension settlements				$ 164,000,000

Discontinued Operations - Sum_3

Discontinued Operations - Summary of Major Classes of Assets and Liabilities of Discontinued Operations (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020USD ($)
Current assets
Total current assets of discontinued operations	$ 1,064
Current liabilities
Total current liabilities of discontinued operations	989
Connect
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	110
Trade and other receivables, net of allowances for doubtful accounts and sales returns	689
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	265
Total current assets of discontinued operations	1,064
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment, net	177
Operating lease right-of-use asset	217
Goodwill	360
Other intangible assets, net	807
Deferred tax assets	228
Other non-current assets	136
Total assets of discontinued operations	2,989
Current liabilities
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	710
Deferred revenues	235
Income tax liabilities	27
Current portion of long-term debt, finance lease obligations and short-term borrowings	17
Total current liabilities of discontinued operations	989
Non-current liabilities
Long-term debt and finance lease obligations	1,330
Deferred tax liabilities	65
Operating lease liabilities	218
Other non-current liabilities	224
Total liabilities of discontinued operations	$ 2,826

Discontinued Operations - Opera

Discontinued Operations - Operating and Investing Cash Flows from Discontinued Operations (Detail) - Connect - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Net cash flows provided by/(used in) operating activities	$ (245)	$ 63	$ 238
Net cash flows used in investing activities	$ (26)	$ (232)	$ (207)

Discontinued Operations - Ope_2

Discontinued Operations - Operating and Investing Cash Flows from Discontinued Operations (Parenthetical) (Detail) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021USD ($)
Connect | Facility Closing | Discontinued Operations, Disposed of by Sale
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Net payments under the tax indemnification arrangements	$ (8)

Subsequent Events - Additional

Subsequent Events - Additional Information (Detail)	Feb. 26, 2022USD ($)
Subsequent Event | Maximum
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Cost of treasury stock	$ 1,000,000,000

Condensed Financial Information

Condensed Financial Information of Registrant - Statement of Operations (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Condensed Financial Statements Captions [Line Items]
Selling, general and administrative expenses	$ 891,000,000	$ 714,000,000	$ 885,000,000
Operating income	872,000,000	679,000,000	870,000,000
Interest income	0	2,000,000	6,000,000
Other expense, net	(24,000,000)	(20,000,000)	(77,000,000)
Income from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in net loss of affiliates	558,000,000	347,000,000	438,000,000
Benefit/(provision) for income taxes	2,000,000	(144,000,000)	141,000,000
Equity in net income/(loss) of subsidiaries	(1,000,000)
Net income/(loss)	971,000,000	7,000,000	(403,000,000)
Total Nielsen Shareholders' Equity
Condensed Financial Statements Captions [Line Items]
Selling, general and administrative expenses	13,000,000	13,000,000	14,000,000
Operating income	(13,000,000)	(13,000,000)	(14,000,000)
Interest income		1,000,000	1,000,000
Other expense, net	5,000,000
Income from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in net loss of affiliates	(8,000,000)	(12,000,000)	(13,000,000)
Equity in net income/(loss) of subsidiaries	971,000,000	6,000,000	(402,000,000)
Net income/(loss)	$ 963,000,000	$ (6,000,000)	$ (415,000,000)

Condensed Financial Informati_2

Condensed Financial Information of Registrant - Balance Sheets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 380	$ 500
Total current assets	1,140	2,224
Other non-current assets	147	159
Total assets	10,820	14,135
Current liabilities
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	478	499
Total current liabilities	657	1,914
Other non-current liabilities	389	429
Total liabilities	7,324	11,892
Total equity	3,314	2,051
Total liabilities and equity	10,820	14,135
Total Nielsen Shareholders' Equity
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	14	3
Amounts receivable from subsidiary		1
Total current assets	14	4
Investment in subsidiaries	3,294	2,023
Loans outstanding from subsidiary	6	25
Total assets	3,314	2,052
Current liabilities
Intercompany payables		1
Total current liabilities		1
Total liabilities		1
Total equity	3,314	2,051
Total liabilities and equity	$ 3,314	$ 2,052

Condensed Financial Informati_3

Condensed Financial Information of Registrant - Statement of Cash Flow (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Condensed Financial Statements Captions [Line Items]
Net cash used in operating activities	$ 666	$ 999	$ 1,066
Investing Activities:
Other investing activities	22	(1)	(19)
Net cash provided by/(used in) by investing activities	1,933	(537)	(582)
Financing Activities:
Cash dividends paid to shareholders	(86)	(86)	(395)
Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan	2	3	4
Other financing activities	(18)	(31)	(28)
Net cash used in financing activities	(2,816)	(307)	(544)
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents	(230)	156	(70)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	610	454	524
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	380	610	454
Total Nielsen Shareholders' Equity
Condensed Financial Statements Captions [Line Items]
Net cash used in operating activities	(10)	(14)	(8)
Investing Activities:
Other investing activities		1
Net cash provided by/(used in) by investing activities	(10)	1
Financing Activities:
Cash dividends paid to shareholders	(86)	(86)	(395)
Activity under stock plans		(2)
Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan	1	4	4
Other financing activities	106	98	398
Net cash used in financing activities	21	14	7
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents	11	1	(1)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	3	2	3
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 14	$ 3	$ 2

Condensed Financial Informati_4

Condensed Financial Information of Registrant - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Feb. 10, 2022	Sep. 30, 2021	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Feb. 26, 2022
Condensed Financial Statements Captions [Line Items]
Cash received from subsidiaries		$ 25,000,000
Cash dividends paid			$ 86,000,000	$ 86,000,000
Dividends declared per common share			$ 0.24	$ 0.24	$ 1.11
Repurchases of common stock			0	0
Subsequent Event
Condensed Financial Statements Captions [Line Items]
Declaration Date	Feb. 10, 2022
Dividends declared per common share	$ 0.06
Cash dividend, date to be Paid	Mar. 17, 2022
Cash dividend, recorded date	Mar. 3, 2022
Subsequent Event | Maximum
Condensed Financial Statements Captions [Line Items]
Cost of treasury stock						$ 1,000,000,000

Valuation and Qualifying Accoun

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Allowance for doubtful accounts and sales returns
Valuation And Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Line Items]
Balance Beginning of Period	$ 23	$ 16	$ 20
Charges/ (Credits) to Expense	(9)	16	1
Deductions		(9)	(5)
Effect of Foreign Currency Translation	(1)
Balance at End of Period	13	23	16
Valuation allowance for deferred taxes
Valuation And Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Line Items]
Balance Beginning of Period	560	609	629
Charges/ (Credits) to Expense	(67)	(48)	(12)
Charged to Other Accounts	5	2
Effect of Foreign Currency Translation	(4)	(3)	(8)
Balance at End of Period	$ 494	$ 560	$ 609