iSentia shareholders are being asked to accept A17.5cents apiece for their shares – a fraction of the $55 they were worth in 2015 – in a takeover agreed with UK-based Access Intelligence.

The offer values the company at $67 million, against the almost $1 billion it was worth five years ago.

Access Intelligence chief executive Joanna Arnold (pictured) will relocate to Australia for at least a year as management from both companies work to combine them.

Access Intelligence takes a technology-led approach to providing for more than 3500 customers in PR, marketing and communications, Arnold says. The acquisition will create a global media monitoring business that will benefit from greater scale, a diverse and competitive product offering and greater geographic reach, bringing benefits to all clients.

“Access Intelligence and Isentia are aligned culturally and strategically, and customers will benefit from a product offering that gives them more choice with a broader geographical reach,” she says.

Isentia’s Ed Harrison says bringing the two companies together will give Isentia’s customers access to a broader suite of products including AI’s social media platform Pulsar. “For the Isentia team this represents the opportunity to be part of a wider global organisation,” he says.

Pulsar provides real-time data analysis of social media, search data and online conversations globally in more than 170 languages, delivering actionable consumer insights, as well as insight into the performance of their owned social media channels.

Shareholders get to vote on the acquisition in August, with the deal expected to close in early September.