Media
CMC, HG Capital lead $26m round for China’s Newrank
China-focused GPs CMC Capital Partners and HG Capital have jointly led a RMB180 million ($26 million) Series B round of funding for Newrank, a Shanghai-based media platform.
Kubera Partners exits India's Planetcast
New York and Mumbai-based private equity firm Kubera Partners has agreed to sell its 28% stake in India’s Planetcast Media Services through a secondary transaction with an undisclosed PE buyer.
CMC, Sequoia launch sport fund, back China kickboxing business
CMC Holdings – a unit of media-focused GP CMC Capital Partners – and Sequoia Capital China have formed a sports investment fund and led a Series A round of funding for Wanmingyang Media, which organizes and video streams kickboxing events in China.
Hong Kong PE buys into US-HK entertainment merger
Co-High Investment Management, a Hong Kong-based private equity firm focused largely on culture and media, has agreed to invest in a film production company formed through a US-Hong Kong merger.
Southeast Asia video streaming service Iflix gets $90m
Iflix, a primarily Southeast Asia-focused video streaming service that follows a similar business model to Netflix, has raised $90 million in Series B funding led by Liberty Global and Kuwaiti telecom company Zain Group.
Ping An leads Series C for Singapore’s Bigo Live
Bigo Live, a Singapore-based social video streaming app, has raised a Series C round of funding from a Hong Kong-based investment arm of Ping An Insurance Group.
Providence completes exit from India's Idea Cellular
Providence Equity Partners has exited its remaining 3.3% stake in Indian mobile network operator Idea Cellular for INR12.9 billion ($193 million).
Comcast takes full ownership of Japan's USJ, PE firms to exit
Goldman Sachs, MBK Partners, Owl Creek Asset Management and PAG Asia Capital will fully exit Universal Studios Japan (USJ) after Comcast NBCUniversal agreed to buy the 49% of the company it doesn’t already own for JPY254.8 billion ($2.3 billion).
Hong Kong AR player Banuba raises $5m
Banuba, a Hong Kong-based developer of technologies for augmented reality (AR) mobile applications, has raised $5 million from VP Capital and Larnabel Ventures.
PE investors join $1.53b financing round for Baidu’s iQiyi
China’s iQiyi.com, a video-streaming platform majority-owned by search giant Baidu, has raised $1.53 billion from a group of private equity investors through the sale of convertible notes.
Japan's Mercari buys VC-backed e-commerce player
Japanese e-commerce company Mercari has agreed to acquire domestic competitor Zawatt, setting up an exit for a number of venture capital backers.
VCs commit $60m to US VR firm for Asia push
Several Asian VC investors have joined a $60 million Series D round for US-based virtual reality (VR) and digital cinematography technology developer Lytro to support its expansion into Asia.
Moelis leads Series B for Australia's Rokt
Rokt, an Australia-based start-up that provides digital marketing services to e-commerce companies, has received a $15 million Series B round of funding led by Moelis Australia Asset Management.
China’s CMC Capital invests in Formula E
A consortium led by Chinese media-focused private equity firm CMC Capital Partners has acquired a stake in Formula E Holdings, the official promoter of the electric cars racing series FIA Formula E Championship.
Deal focus: Trax offers brands a valuable close-up
Trax Image Recognition closes in on a $250 million valuation as Investec Bank backs the Singapore's start-up's solution for giving brands a clearer picture on what shelf positioning means for sales
NZ hologram tech player receives $27m Series B round
Time Warner Investments has led a group of investors, including China’s Baidu Ventures, in a $27 million Series B funding round for New Zealand-based holographic technology company 8i.
MSPEA, Far EasTone abandon bid for Taiwan's CNS
Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA) and Far EasTone Telecommunications have withdrawn their bid for Taiwan cable TV operator China Network Systems (CNS) after the deal became bogged down by regulatory reviews.
China’s Toutiao acquires US VC-backed video app Flipagram
Chinese mobile news reading app Toutiao has acquired Flipagram, a US-based video sharing app backed by several VC investors, for an undisclosed amount.
Deal focus: Innotech realizes global ad tech ambitions
Chinese captive private equity unit Innotech Capitals has secured its first acquisition in the US, picking up data aggregation platform Ad-Juster with a view to supporting its expansion in China
Bridgepoint agrees sale of Nordic Cinema to Chinese strategic
AMC Entertainment, the US theatre chain controlled by China’s Dalian Wanda Group, will acquire Stockholm-based Nordic Cinema Group from PE firm Bridgepoint and Swedish media group Bonnier Holding for SEK8.25 billion ($929 million).
Warburg Pincus invests $120m in India's PVR
Warburg Pincus has invested INR8.2 billion ($120 million) for a 14% stake in Indian listed film and retail entertainment company PVR, providing a partial exit for Multiples Alternative Asset Management.
Innotech targets Asia with US marketing acquisition
Shanghai-based Innotech Capitals, a PE arm of Innotech International Group specializing in advertising technology, has acquired US data aggregation platform Ad-Juster with a view to helping the company expand into Asia.
Deal focus: Yao Capital backs new motor-racing formula
With its investment in Formula E, Yao Capital hopes to help electric car racing achieve some of Formula One's success, but with an emphasis on China, downtown circuits, younger fans, and environmentally friendly entertainment
Tiantu leads $36m round for China comic site
China consumer-focused GP Tiantu Capital has led a RMB250 million ($36 million) Series C round of funding for Kuaikan Comic, a mobile app designed for reading comic books.