Thank you for this Michelle A ... Article on the IPA commissioned report into the ABC. Following this, you may like to check out Quadrant Private Equity and their portfolio on Canberra Data Centre (CDC). At the Coal Face? Interestingly, the history of iSentias success now sees it covering about 90% of Australias media monitoring market. But, who are they exactly? What exactly do they do? A quick glimpse into the past may assist. One wonders at what CEO John Croll had envisaged for iSentia way back in 2002 when Media Monitors (the founding company) began internet monitoring in Alliance with Hitwire. Since then, it acquired the market majority in New Zealand with its acquisition of Media Search in 2004 - the same year that it released its online platform; went on in 2006 to break into the Asia Pacific with its acquisition of global media analysis firm CARMA International Pty Ltd and Rehame, becoming the second largest media monitoring company in Australia at the time and setting up an office in Singapore. Going forward in time with further acquisitions, 2007, with 50% of NZ leading media business directory Media People; Beijing based Sinofile Information Consulting in 2008 - the same year it opened its office in Hong Kong and released Media Stream, and Newtel of NZ in 2009 before Media Monitors was acquired by Quadrant Private Equity in 2010. The following year acquisitions of Global online business intel Brandtology based in Singapore, ChinaClipping a Beijing monitoring service and, MediaBanc - the leading media intel provider across more than half of South East Asia. This set the pace for the launch of Sentia in 2012 - the parent company for all of the brands formally under Media Monitors. In this same year it acquired Social Media Analysis Company Buzz Numbers - Australias number one social media number crunching company. The following year iSentia emerged as the new number one intel company in the Asia Pacific Region and held the prestigious title of being the world leader in its field. Possessing almost 90% of Australias market and commanding such influence is cause enough to raise a flag here and there. In light of iSentias role in establishing ABC bias, it seemed fitting to consider this in regard to iSentias place and with whom a place was set. In May of this year, 2014, a few months before the ABC report was released - and few months after iSentia were commissioned to undertake it, the whose who of iSentia board members saw Dr Geoffrey Raby, Non-Executive Director of Yancoal Australia, Fortescue Metals, Oceana Gold Corporation, SmartTrans Holdings Limited, and retired Ambassador to China, receive an appointment to iSentia. Just where the corporate influences will extend to in order to overthrow the ABC in a bid to secure its privatisation is anyones guess. With the ABC traversing the fires of corporate governance in a broad range of key national issues to effect a greater balance of social license in this country, the need for more rigorous vigilance is paramount. The age of information technology is still in its infancy and the influence of this age has transformed virtually every aspect of the way that we share and consider information. To say - I censor - is, for every single one of us, and for all about us, more relevant and profoundly influential than at any other time in history.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 03:42:26 +0000