June was a busy month in PR measurement. Linkfluence received funding to continue its remarkable growth, while Dunami sold its impressive intellectual property. Meanwhile, in Australia, AAP found a buyer and a familiar name launched Truescope.
Linkfluence raises $USD9 million
Linkfluence, the Paris-based social media provider, has raised $USD9 million in funding. The funding will be used to expand the company’s footprint in the US, and to continue the development of its Radarly platform. Like other social media analytics providers, Linkfluence has been focused on automated consumer insights for a little while now. The funders include Ring Capital and Tikehau Capital.
John Croll launches Truescope 
John Croll, the former Media Monitors and Isentia CEO, has launched Truescope. The media intelligence platform is designed to help inform communicators about breaking news across all media types and identify issues, fake news, and trends in real time. The platform is already live in Singapore and is expected to launch into the crowded Australian market in August. Croll is a media intelligence veteran – he resigned as Isentia’s CEO in February 2018 – and his return to the industry will be warmly welcomed.
AAP finds a buyer
Staying in Australia for a moment, a group of philanthropists and investors have reached a deal to purchase Australian Associated Press (AAP) from News Corp and Nine. The business announced its potential closure back in March. The reformed AAP newswire service will relaunch on August 1. The Medianet and Mediaverse businesses will be retained by News Corp and Nine, and were not included in the sale.
Babel Street acquires Dunami’s IP
Babel Street, the multilingual data analytics software provider, has acquired the intellectual property of Dunami for an undisclosed sum. The technology will allow Babel Street to leverage AI / ML capabilities to identify key topics and thought leaders, as well as conduct relationship analysis of associated networks and audiences. The technology has been integrated into the Babel Street’s Babel X and Babel One products.
Facebook adds a label
Facebook has bowed to pressure to add labels to political content. The platform tag all posts that discuss voting and has said it would expand its policies around hate speech and prohibit a wider category of hateful language in ads on the site. Though, it may also add a “newsworthy” label if a post violates the rules but is from an important figure. The changes came after US advertisers paused spending. Despite Facebook’s announcement, there are calls for global advertisers to boycott the social network. The move follows Twitter, which announced it’s intentions back in February
Forum.eu launches
Now, something for the Europeans. June saw the launch of Forum.eu. The Berlin-based start-up promotes European journalism, providing users with access to a range of reputable news sources including the likes of El Mundo (Spain), FAZ (Germany), and Rzeczpospolita (Poland). Importantly, the service provides curated news in the user’s native language. The subscription service would typically cost €4 per month, but is currently free in beta.
AMEC Summit is about to start
In case you’ve missed the news, the annual AMEC Summit will be taking place on 8 and 9 July. This year’s summit is taking place virtually, so attendees are able to stay in their pyjamas while hearing about the latest thinking in measurement. Be sure to book your ticket.
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