Media
Sequoia-backed NewsHunt acquires Indian e-commerce portal
Ver Se Innovation, the owner of Indian news aggregation app NewsHunt, has acquired Rocket Science Innovation, parent of online price comparison and recommendation platform BuyT for an undisclosed amount.
China’s mobile advertising platform Mobvista raises $32m
Mobvista, a Chinese mobile content distribution platform, has raised RMB200 million ($32 million) in a Series B round of funding led by two industry funds managed by Haitong Kaiyuan Investment, the private equity arm of Haitong Securities.
Tiger Global invests $20m in Indian news app News in Shorts
Tiger Global has committed $20 million in Series B funding to Indian news curating and redistribution platform News in Shorts.
Indian music streaming service Saavn raises $100m
Tiger Global has led a $100 million Series C round for Indian music streaming service Saavn, with participation from Bertelsmann India Investments, Steadview Capital, Mousse Partners and Liberty Media.
500 Start-ups, Gree lead Indonesia game studio Series C round
US early stage investor 500 Startups and Japanese gaming giant Gree have led an undisclosed Series C round investment in Indonesian game start-up Touchten Games.
PE-backed Focus Media’s backdoor listing encounters hurdles
Private equity-backed Focus Media’s planned $7 billion reverse merger with Shenzhen-listed Hongda New Material has encountered another setback following the resignation of Hongda's chairman in response to a probe by authorities.
Tech in Asia secures $4m funding round
Tech in Asia, a Singapore-based digital media company that focuses on Asian start-ups, has raised a $4 million round led by SB ISAT Fund, a $50 million vehicle backed by Japan's SoftBank and Indonesia's Indosat.
Apollo exits 4.4% stake in India's Dish TV
Apollo Global Management has exited a 4.4% stake in India-based direct-to-home (DTH) service provider Dish TV, selling about INR4.86 billion ($76.6 million) worth of shares via the open market.
Shenzhen Fortune invests $48m in Focus Media
Fortune Capital has invested RMB300 million ($48 million) in Focus Media, a PE-backed Chinese outdoor advertising firm on course for a $7.37 billion backdoor listing in Shenzhen.
IMAX, CMC Capital to launch China film fund
Movie theater operator IMAX Corporation and CMC Capital Partners will together launch a fund that will bankroll at least 10 Chinese-language movie productions.
Tembusu invests $10m in New Zealand’s CricHQ
Singapore-based GP Tembusu Partners has committed $10 million to New Zealand’s CricHQ, a cricket-focused digital platform used by the sport’s administrative bodies as well as by clubs and fans.
Multiples to up stake in India's PVR Cinemas
Multiples Alternative Asset Management has agreed to invest INR3.5 billion ($54.6 million) in Indian cinema chain PVR Cinema, raising its stake in the company to 19.6%.
Sequoia, Fosun support take-private for China’s Bona Film Group
Sequoia Capital and Fosun International are supporting a founder-led take-private offer for Bona Film Group that values the US-listed Chinese film distributor at approximately $832 million.
China bus Wi-Fi network raises $11.5 Series A round
Baidu has led a $11.5 million Series A round investment in Qianhai Mobile, a unit of digital outdoor advertising firm Vision China Media, which operates Wi-Fi networks for bus routes.
Alibaba Pictures raises $1.6b to fund media acquisitions
Alibaba Pictures, a Hong Kong-listed film and entertainment unit owned by Alibaba Group, plans to raise about HK$12.1 billion ($1.56 billion) through a share placement to help finance potential acquisitions in the media industry.
China's VC-backed Taomee receives take-private proposal
An investment arm of Chinese brokerage Orient Securities has teamed up with the CEO and president of children's entertainment group Taomee Holdings, and submitted a take-private offer for the US-listed company.
Focus Media set for $7b reverse merger in Shenzhen - update
Shenzhen-listed Jiangsu Hongda New Material will acquire Chinese outdoor advertising business Focus Media, which was taken private two years ago by a consortium of PE investors and company management, for RMB45.7 billion ($7.37 billion), paving the way...
China’s Wanda Cinema Line confirms Hoyts acquisition
Wanda Cinema Line Corp, a subsidiary of Chinese property developer Dalian Wanda Group, has confirmed the acquisition of Australian cinema operator Hoyts Group from Pacific Equity Partners (PEP).
Advantage exits GTA TeleGuam to Indonesian trade buyer
Japan's Advantage Partners has exited GTA TeleGuam - the former state-owned telephone company based on the island of Guam - to Telkom Indonesia. The value of the transaction has not been disclosed.
FountainVest, CMC-backed IMAX China files for HK IPO
The China business of movie theater operator IMAX, in which FountainVest Partners and CMC Capital Partners acquired a 20% stake just over a year ago, has filed for an IPO in Hong Kong.
Focus Media to relist in Shenzhen via reverse merger
Chinese outdoor advertising business Focus Media, which was taken private two years ago by a consortium of PE investors in conjunction with company management, will re-list in Shenzhen through a reverse merger.
China’s Yunfeng, Wanda back sports entertainment business
Yunfeng Capital and conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group have led a Series A round of funding worth RMB800 million ($129 million) for LeTV Sports, a Chinese sports channel.
Deal focus: Canva’s simple design wins VC support
When Australian entrepreneur Melanie Perkins taught design in schools, she noticed that students struggled when using traditional software such as Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. Clearly there could be a simpler solution.
Primavera leads $50m round for China online advertising platform
Primavera Capital has led a $50 million Series D round of funding for Miaozhen Systems, a Chinese third-party big data company that specializes in advertising services.