Cable giant buys Philly ad targeter Audience Partners

Altice USA, the fourth-largest U.S. cable TV company since it bought New York's Cablevision Systems in an $18 billion deal last year, says it has acquired Plymouth Meeting, Montgomery County-based Audience Partners, an 80-person company whose CampaignGrid unit marries voter and consumer data to help politicians and advocacy groups target online and mobile ads. Price not disclosed.

The deal includes all three Audience units — political, healthcare, and cable TV. Masterson clarified that his lieutenant Jeff Dittus, now Audience's CEO and chairman, "will be staying on as an employee, and I will remain in a consulting capacity."