Media
EDBI joins $133m round for Malaysia's Iflix
Singapore’s EDBI has joined a $133 million funding round led by US conglomerate Hearst Media for Iflix, a Malaysia-based video streaming service with a similar business model to Netflix.
M17 Entertainment gets $40m Series A round
M17 Entertainment, a Taiwan and Singapore-based media streaming company, has raised a $40 million Series A funding round led by Japan’s Infinity Venture Partners.
Japan VC: Culture club
The Cool Japan policy aims to internationalize a large but lagging economy beyond its manufacturing roots. Venture capital will be the key to reimagining unique overlaps of culture and technology
Tencent invests in India's PE-backed Byju's
China’s Tencent Holdings has invested an undisclosed amount in Indian online education start-up Byju’s, whose PE backers include Verlinvest and Sequoia Capital.
Sequoia, Mission back Singapore’s One Championship
One Championship, a Singapore-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, has secured a new funding round led by Sequoia Capital India and Mission Holdings – an investment vehicle owned by billionaire Saurabh Mittal.
Carlyle-backed Tencent ebook unit files for Hong Kong IPO
China Literature, the ebook unit of China’s Tencent Holdings whose backers include The Carlyle Group and Trustbridge Partners, has filed for an IPO in Hong Kong.
Singapore's GIC buys 30% stake in Mergermarket
Singapore’s GIC Private has acquired an approximately 30% stake in Mergermarket Group – AVCJ’s parent company – from BC Partners. The size of the transaction was not disclosed.
PE investors drop bids for Australia’s Fairfax
Hellman & Friedman, along with a consortium led by TPG Capital and including Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP), have withdrawn their bids to acquire Australia’s Fairfax Media.
CMC closes China media fund at $600m hard cap
CMC Capital Partners, a PE firm set up by Ruigang Li, formerly president of Shanghai Media Group (SMG), has closed its second US dollar-denominated fund at the hard cap of $600 million. The vehicle is already one-third invested.
Yunfeng leads $29m round for China media company
China-focused PE firm Yunfeng Capital has led a RMB200 million ($29 million) Series B round of funding for Tianjin Galaxy Cool Media, a local online video content producer.
Blackstone exits Indian newspaper publisher
The Blackstone Group has exited its entire stake in Jagran Media Network, the holding company of Indian newspaper publisher and media platform Jagran Prakashan.
Legend leads $18m round for Chinese book publisher
China-focused Legend Capital has led a RMB128 million ($18 million) Series A round for Dook Book, a Shanghai-based book publisher that also has digital media and film operations.
Government-backed Cool Japan invests in 500 Startups fund
Cool Japan Fund, a government-backed venture program for promoting cultural exports, has agreed to invest up to $10 million in a recently launched Japan-focused vehicle managed by 500 Startups.
PE-owned Blue Star Sports enters Australia, New Zealand
Blue Star Sports, a US-based company controlled by Genstar Capital that provides management software to grassroots sports clubs, has entered the Australia and New Zealand market with the acquisition of SportsTG.
Blackbird joins $12m round for Australia-US marketing player
Blackbird Ventures has led a $12 million round for Sydney and San Francisco-based marketing software provider Autopilot.
KKR bids $1.6b for Australian telecom player Vocus
KKR has offered to acquire Vocus Group, one of Australia's leading high-speed broadband internet providers, in a deal worth approximately A$2.1 billion ($1.6 billion).
Future Venture Capital to buy All Nippon Entertainment
Future Venture Capital (FVC) has agreed to acquire Japanese media company All Nippon Entertainment Works (ANEW) from government-owned investor Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ).
Taiwan regulator nixes Carlyle's EBC exit
The Carlyle Group appears to have hit a wall in its latest attempt to exit Taiwan TV station Eastern Broadcasting (EBC) as the National Communication Commission (NBC) blocked a sale to Taiwan Optical Platform, a local telecom services provider.
Australian adtech start-up Unlockd secures $23m
Malaysian telecommunications conglomerate Axiata has led a $23 million investment in early-stage Australian advertising technology company Unlockd.
China's Bona Film forms $150m fund with US-based CAA
Chinese film distributor Bona Film Group, which is backed by a handful of PE and strategic investors, has teamed up with Hollywood talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to launch a $150 million film fund.
Portfolio: Samara Capital and Cogencis
Cogencis’ market data terminals have made a strong showing in India against Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters. Now the Samara Capital-backed company is looking to repeat that success worldwide
Hellman & Friedman submits $2.1b offer for Australia's Fairfax
Hellman & Friedman has submitted a buyout offer for Australia’s Fairfax Media that values the business as high as A$2.9 billion ($2.1 billion).
Japanese digital marketing player receives $28m
From Scratch, a Japanese digital marketing platform, has raised approximately JPY3.2 billion ($28.4 million) in funding from Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) and Rakuten Ventures, as well as several existing investors.
Ping An leads $75m round for YY's gaming subsidiary Huya
China Ping An Insurance has led a $75 million Series A round for Huya, the live game broadcasting subsidiary of Chinese social networking platform YY.