Isentia
| Company type | Private (owned by Access Intelligence) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Data technology, media intelligence |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia |
Key people | Ed Harrison (CEO as of 2018), James Merritt (CEO Asia), Russ Horell (Chief Commercial Officer) |
| Parent | Access Intelligence |
| Website | www |
Isentia is a data technology and media intelligence firm headquartered in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Access Intelligence. Established in 1982, the company maintains offices throughout Australia—including Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth—as well as in New Zealand’s Wellington and Auckland, and across Southeast Asia in cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Ho Chi Minh City.
Overview
Initially operating under the names Media Monitors and later Sentia Media, the company adopted the Sentia Media brand in 2012 before consolidating all its subsidiaries under the Isentia banner in March 2013. It debuted on the Australian Securities Exchange on 5 June 2014 after being owned by Australian private equity firm Quadrant Private Equity since July 2010. Since 2010, Isentia has expanded through several acquisitions including Brandtology—a Singapore-based social media and online intelligence firm; BuzzNumbers from Australia specializing in social media; MediaBanc, the largest media intelligence provider in Southeast Asia; Beijing’s ChinaClipping; and China Newswire, a Chinese distribution platform previously held by global competitor Cision before its sale to Matoka Capital.
History
In 1982, Neville Jeffress—who owned a classified advertising management business—began acquiring various clipping services such as NSW Country Press, Lynch Pidler Pty, and the Australian Press Cutting Agency. These entities operated collectively as Neville Jeffress/Pidler Pty Ltd until 1993 when they acquired Media Monitors Australia and merged under the Media Monitors name. By that time, it had become one of Australia’s leading media monitoring companies. The firm expanded internationally by opening a Singapore office in 2006. In 2011, Quadrant Private Equity purchased Media Monitors Group. On 9 February 2012, the company unified its brands under Sentia Media and rebranded across the Asia-Pacific region as Isentia in 2013.
In February 2018, John Croll stepped down from his long-held CEO position and was succeeded by Ed Harrison—former head of Yahoo7 Australia—in July of the same year. The leadership team was further strengthened in 2019 with James Merritt appointed as CEO for Asia to spearhead multi-market initiatives and Russ Horell brought on as Chief Commercial Officer.
Acquisitions
In August 2013, Isentia broadened its social media capabilities by acquiring Two Social, a specialist agency in that sector.
The company expanded into South Korea in June 2016 through the acquisition of Social Net Creator Ltd. During this period, Isentia also completed additional acquisitions in Thailand while negotiating deals in Vietnam and Hong Kong.
December 2016 saw Isentia acquire China Newswire based in Shanghai—a SaaS platform providing news monitoring and content marketing distribution services within China. Following this transaction, Danny Levinson, CEO of China Newswire, was appointed Regional Director for Asia at Isentia. In this role, he manages operations and leads the development of AI-driven data services across Isentia’s ten Asian offices located in China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
Australian Securities Exchange listing
Isentia submitted a prospectus in May 2014 and subsequently made its debut on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in June 2014. Following its acquisition by Access Intelligence plc, the company was removed from the ASX listings in 2021.
External links
- http://www.adoimagazine.com/newhome/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2113:media-monitors-come-to-malaysia-&catid=1:breaking-news&Itemid=5
- Asia Media Monitors establishes headquarters in Kuala Lumpur
- Practical applications of new media
- CARMA Research Papers – Media Content Analysis: Applications, Advantages & Methodological Best Practices by Prof. Dr. Jim Macnamara