Commentary
Consolidation In Social Media Tech
- by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, December 24, 2014
Possibly the only thing growing faster than social media usage is the number of social media technology companies out there,
suggesting a marketplace ripe for consolidation (which, among other things, would greatly simplify the job of humble social media bloggers everywhere, thanks). This week brought a promising glimpse of
a potential future shakeout with acquisitions by Social Reality and SeaChange International.
Social Reality, which provides automated management of social advertising campaigns,
acquired Five Delta, which is focused on executing and managing media buys across a wide range of social media platforms. Social Reality will integrate Five Delta’s technology into its own
Social Reality Ad Exchange (SRAX) platform, enabling publishers and media buyers to optimize social and RTB media buys across categories including display, video, mobile and in-app ads.
Social Reality CEO and cofounder Chris Miglino stated: “We continue to build technology that bridges the gap
between social and RTB media buying, and Five Delta will help us accelerating these offerings.”
Meanwhile SeaChange, a tech company specializing in multiscreen video software, announced the acquisition of TLL, LLC, which does business as Timeline Labs, for $14
million in cash, $8 million in stock, and $2.5 million in deferred performance-based payments.
Timeline
Labs is a software as a service (SaaS) company that helps local broadcasters, local and national news organizations, and other media companies analyze social media in real-time in order to identify
newsworthy trends and insights, as well as measure audience engagement across different channels including TV, mobile, and PC. Timeline’s current customers include Fox Television Stations,
Sinclair, Media General, and Tribune broadcast TV stations, as well as online media companies like 120sports.com.
According to SeaChange CEO Jay Samit, “the Timeline Labs platform will allow us to extend the social news paradigm to multiscreen
television service providers, so they can easily launch ready-made and differentiated live or on-demand content packages tailored to the interests of their subscribers.”
Erik Sass is editor of Publishers Daily. You can reach Erik at eriksass@gmail.com.