VNU A Zero?

VNU Media has been valued at “zero,” according to reports, and the company is planning to halve its $280 million debt.

VNU Media, the Dutch parent company of Billboard, Hollywood Reporter and Nielsen Company, wants to halve its debt as part of a restructuring to leave its original owner, British investment company 3i.

Meanwhile, 3i valued its unit at zero, according to Dutch newspaper Financieele Dagblad, adding the write-off doesn’t mean it considers VNU Media to be worthless.

It is one of nine companies in 3i’s portfolio to be valued at zero. Shareholders agreed to refinance the company on the basis of a new five-year plan, according to the Financial Times of London. The company is reportedly in the last stages of transforming into online media.