Media
KKR-backed Seven West launches $450m share issue
KKR investee Seven West Media plans to raise approximately A$440 million ($450 million) through the sale of new shares in order to reduce debt levels. The Australian company, which owns the Seven free-to-air network, the country’s second-largest magazine...
SE Asia media peaks PE’s interest
A year ago, global private equity firms stopped ignoring Southeast Asia’s media industry and put the sector on their priority list. What changed?
Saban, Creador anchor $228m MNC Skyvision IPO
Saban Capital Group and Creador Capital have acted as anchor investors in the IPO of MNC Skyvision, the largest pay TV company in Indonesia. The company, which began trading on the Indonesia Stock Exchange on Monday, raised IDR2.15 billion ($228 million)...
Court allows Oak, Gobi to attach $60m in VisionChina assets
Oak Investment Partners and Gobi Partners' application to attach $60 million in assets they claim they are owed by VisionChina Media approved by a New York state judge.
Asiasons buys Australian pre-school show from CVC's Nine
Southeast Asian private equity firm Asiasons Group has acquired Australian pre-school television show Hi-5 from Nine Network Australia and Southern Star Entertainment. Nine Network is owned by the debt-laden Nine Entertainment Group, which is backed by...
Australia’s old media: Where did it all go wrong?
Traditional media in Australia has been colonized by buyout houses since 2006, but a number of these assets are now in distress. Can private equity use this situation to its advantage?
VC players back $45m PubMatic mezz round
It is no exaggeration to say that real-time bidding (RBT) is transforming online display advertising. For years, customers bid for slots in bulk, paying a flat rate for each one; there was no way to improve cost efficiency by bidding for particular opportunities.
Indonesian pay-TV operator targets $260m IPO
PT MNC Skyvision has reduced the fundraising expectations for its IPO this summer from $400 million to $260 million. Saban Capital Group was previously reported to have expressed interest in becoming an anchor investor.
India’s Komli raises $39m in Series D round
India-based Komli Media, a provider of online advertising solutions across mobile, video, social networks and search engines, has attracted $39 million in Series D funding from venture capital firms, in a move to expand its presence across Asia.
CVC-owned Formula One delays Singapore IPO
CVC Capital Partners' portfolio company Formula One Group has delayed its $3 billion Singapore IPO due to choppy market conditions. It is the fifth major listing to be pulled or delayed in Asia over the past week alone.
PE giants exit AMC to Chinese investor
Dalian Wanda Group’s ambitions appear to know no bounds. Last week the conglomerate completed what could be the largest ever Chinese takeover of a US company, paying $2.6 billion for AMC Entertainment. Wanda’s goal is to unite AMC’s movie theater...
Regulatory delays add $300m to MBK’s CNS price tag
MBK Partners' exit from Taiwanese cable television business CNS could collapse because the prospective buyer is unhappy at how delays in regulatory approvals have added up to NT$10 billion (US$341 million) to the original price tag.
CVC seizes rare chance to buy HK telecom asset
Private equity mega-deals are a comparative rarity in Hong Kong. Discount pre-IPO investments in large Chinese state-owned enterprises and one is left with a number of significant minority transactions and barely a handful of buyouts. Until last week,...
Wolseley-backed Nextmedia acquires magazines from CVC's ACP
Nextmedia, the Australian magazine publisher owned by Wolseley Private Equity, has acquired two publications from ACP Magazines, the magazine division of CVC Asia Pacific-backed Nine Entertainment.
Sequoia part-exits Bona Film stake to company founder
Sequoia Capital has exited part of its stake in Bona Film Group to the company founder for approximately $16.5 million. The private equity firm agreed to sell 1.5 million ordinary shares to Dong Yu at $11 apiece, a premium of 5.6% over Bona’s closing...
F&H backs Song brothers’ singing school
Ask Chinese music fans to name famous Singaporean exports, and they’re likely to mention Stephanie Sun and JJ Lin. Aside from both being hugely popular in China’s Mando-pop scene, what each of these singers has in common is that they were both trained...
F&H invests in Wise Entertainment
F&H Fund Management has invested in Singapore's Wise Entertainment - a company named after the city state's twin composers and music producers Lee Wei Song and Lee Si Song (Wei) and (Si).
NAB offloads debt in CVC-backed Nine Entertainment
National Australia Bank (NAB) has sold off its entire holding of debt in CVC-backed Nine Entertainment. The bank offloaded A$86 million ($90 million), with media reports quoting a price of A$0.85-087 on the dollar.
VC-backed Komli Media bolts on Admax
Komli Media, the Indian media technology company backed by Norwest Venture Partners, has completed the bolt-on acquisition of digital media network.Admax.
Bona Film’s CFO to join PE fund
The CFO of Bona Film Group, the largest privately-owned film distributor in China, is leaving to become CEO of a private equity firm.
CHAMP gets court approval for oOh!media takeover
CHAMP Private Equity has won approval from the Federal Court of Australia for its A$163 million ($176 million) acquisition of outdoor advertising company oOh!media. The firm consequently ceased trading on the Australian Stock Exchange on March 1.
Quadrant, APN announce outdoor advertising JV
Quadrant Private Equity has agreed to form an outdoor advertising joint venture with APN News & Media worth A$272 million ($289 million). APN had decided further investment was required to support expansion and entered into exclusive negotiations with...
CVC cuts price for Nine’s magazine division – report
CVC Asia Pacific is reportedly willing to listen to offers of as little as A$300 million ($323 million) – or 3x earnings – for Nine Entertainment’s magazine division after receiving little interest from prospective buyers. The sale of ACP Magazines...
APN in exclusive negotiations with Quadrant Private Equity
APN News & Media has entered into exclusive negotiations with Quadrant Private Equity concerning its outdoor advertising business. It comes after a strategic review concluded that the asset shouldn’t be sold but that further investment was required...