Facebook acquires social media buzz tracker CrowdTangle

Facebook announced it has bought startup CrowdTangle, which specializes in tracking hot content on social networks for media agencies and others.

"Publishers around the world turn to CrowdTangle to surface stories that matter, measure their social performance and identify influencers," a Facebook spokesperson said in an email statement to AFP.

"We are excited to work with CrowdTangle to deliver these, and more insights to more publishers."

CrowdTangle confirmed the acquisition in a message at its website, but neither company disclosed financial terms of the deal.

CrowdTangle said that its technology helps identify stories picking up traction and influential sources as well as their performance on social networks.

The startup claimed that thousands of journalists use its tool daily, with its customers around the world including newspapers, television stations, digital media outlets, nonprofits, and sports teams.

The list of users at CrowdTangle included Google, BuzzFeed, Vox, the British BBC, RTL Group in Luxembourg, and Switzerland-based media group Ringier.

CrowdTangle is also used by nonprofit groups such as Greenpeace and Unicef, according to its website.

The CrowdTangle platform is tailored to spot news that is catching fire at online venues like Facebook, its subsidiary Instagram, and even competitors such as Google-owned YouTube or Twitter.

The US startup also provides tools for media to see how much attention its own stories attract and to identify who is sharing their content, according to its website.

The CrowdTangle team will continue to run the operation, and the plan was to go on supporting support integration with Twitter, YouTube and other clients.

Facebook expected CrowdTangle technology to enable it to provide more meaningful insights to publishers at the social network.