You’re reading it here first: Cymfony, the social media market intelligence and research firm based out of Watertown, MA, is being bought by UK-based research giant Taylor Nelson Sofres, paidContent.org has learned. The official announcement should come soon...it has been announced internally within some divisions of TNS. Not sure on the sale price, but I do know it is in double-digit millions. The company has venture investment from Ascent Venture Partners, Trident Capital and Hearst Interactive, and has raised a total of $24 million in four rounds.
Cymfony, founded in 1996, works with marketing, research and PR companies and has services that address areas such as consumer-generated media strategy, consumer opinions and trends, customer satisfaction, PR measurement, and reputation management. The firm will be working with TNS Media Intelligence, the U.S. media research arm of the company.
This continues the consolidation in this social media analytics sector: BuzzMetrics bought Intelliseek last year and itself was majority-sold to Nielsen.
Calls and e-mails to Cymfony and TNS U.S. PR were not returned.
Related: Cymfony Raises $7 Million Fourth Round