Media
Tencent buys Malaysia streaming platform Iflix
Tencent Holdings has agreed to acquire the assets of Malaysia-headquartered streaming platform Iflix, which was previously backed by a number of private equity and strategic players.
Australia's Canva raises $60m at $6b valuation
Canva, an Australian graphic design platform, has raised $60 million in VC funding, almost doubling its valuation to $6 billion. It attributed the growth to a shift online amid COVID-19.
Deal focus: Indonesia’s GoPlay changes the channel
Golden Gate Ventures is backing GoPlay, a media streaming spin-out from Indonesia's GoJek, to tap an underserved Southeast Asian audience with local recreations of popular international TV shows
Japan’s Daiwa backs Vietnam cinema operator
Japan’s Daiwa Securities Group has invested $8 million in Vietnam cinema chain operator Beta Media via its private equity unit.
Mercury buys Bauer Media’s Australia, New Zealand assets
Sydney-based private equity firm Mercury Capital has agreed to acquire the Australia and New Zealand assets of Germany’s Bauer Media, including an extensive magazine portfolio.
Singapore's One Championship raises $70m
One Championship, a Singapore-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization backed by Sequoia Capital India, has raised $70 million in funding.
Golden Gate leads funding round for Gojek streaming service
GoPlay, the streaming service of Indonesian ride-hailing and online-to-offline (O2O) services platform Gojek, has raised funding led by Golden Gate Ventures.
Jio Platforms: Elephant in the room
India’s Jio Platforms has received substantial private equity backing as it looks to build a digital platform that is all things to all people, from cable to retail. Will it succeed?
Vertex leads $26.5m Series D for Taiwan’s M17
Vertex Ventures, the VC arm of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, has led a $26.5 million Series D round for Taiwan-based media streaming company M17 Entertainment.
Vista Equity to invest $1.5b in Reliance's India app platform
US-based Vista Equity Partners has agreed to invest INR113.67 billion ($1.5 billion) for a stake in Jio Platforms, a holding company for Indian internet and telecom assets, including Reliance Jio Telecom.
VC-backed Chinese AR start-up raises $26m in US IPO
WiMi Hologram Cloud, a PE-backed Chinese augmented reality (AR) technology developer, traded flat on its opening day on NASDAQ following a $26.1 million IPO.
China's Wanda exits Ironman to strategic, PE buyers
Wanda Sports Group, the sports, media and marketing subsidiary of Chinese real estate conglomerate Wanda Group, has sold the Ironman brand to two US-based investors for an enterprise valuation of $730 million.
Village Roadshow suitors continue work despite coronavirus disruption
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and BGH Capital are continuing their due diligence on Australian cinema and theme park operator Village Roadshow despite the company experiencing difficulties due to coronavirus outbreak.
Deal focus: 51CTO’s prescient training pivot
Chinese IT platform 51CTO switched from online media to online training five years ago and hasn't looked back. With $20 million in Series C funding, the company wants to sustain its rise
Anchor invests in entertainment unit of Korea's Kakao
Anchor Equity Partners is paying KRW209.8 billion ($163 million) for an approximately 13% stake in the music and entertainment division of Korean internet giant Kakao.
ByteDance invests $26m in Chinese talent manager
Chinese celebrity management agency Mountain Top has closed a RMB180 million ($26 million) Serie B funding round provided by ByteDance Technology, operator of the Toutiao news aggregation and TikTok short video platforms.
Fund focus: CMC widens its sweet spot
Having grown its assets under management to $2.5 billion following the close of Fund III, China's CMC Captial Group wants to be seen as more than just a media sector specialist
Japan Post Capital joins $26m round for Singapore’s AnyMind
Japan Post Capital and Sparx Group have provided $26.4 million in funding to AnyMind, a Singapore-based marketing technology start-up focused on entertainment.
CMC raises $950m for third China fund
CMC Capital Partners, a Chinese private equity firm set up by Ruigang Li (pictured), formerly president of Shanghai Media Group (SMG), has closed its third US dollar-denominated fund with more than $950 million in commitments.
Deal focus: Booktopia prepares for build-out
What was just a side business has become a successful one.
BGH offers $536m for Australia media group
Australian private equity firm BGH Capital has offered to acquire 100% of Village Roadshow in a deal that values the Sydney-listed media group at around A$783 million ($536 million).
FountainVest backs China online ticketing player Maoyan
FountainVest Partners has acquired a significant minority stake in Maoyan Entertainment, a Chinese online ticketing business that completed an IPO in Hong Kong last February.
PEP bids $517m for Australia's Village Roadshow
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) has submitted a A$761.2 million ($517 million) bid for Village Roadshow, an Australian media company that operates cinemas and theme parks and has interests in film production and distribution.
Deal focus: One Store brings service to videogaming
A freshly spun-out private equity arm of SK Securities is helping Korea’s One Store break up a local monopoly in mobile videogame marketing.
