Advanced Television

Funding

RTL strikes BroadbandTV strategic partnership

European entertainment network RTL Group has formed a strategic partnership with Vancouver-based online video company BroadbandTV. RTL Group’s initial investment of €27 million for a 51 per cent stake is part of a planned series of investments in the company. The business partnership between the two companies creates a new platform for RTL Group’s digital […]

June 27, 2013

BBC-WW borrows £170m

The BBC’s Worldwide division is raising £170 million (€200m) in a bond issue, according to FT. The borrowing, first mentioned back in May, is said to be trying to find new ways to finance BBC Worldwide, its commercial arm. Profits from BBC Worldwide are supposed to be channelled into the wholly publicly-funded BBC. However, BBC […]

June 26, 2013By Chris Forrester

Chernin, Comcast and WPP back Fullscreen

Online video company Fullscreen – the premier global YouTube network for creators and brands – has closed a round of Series A funding. The round was led by The Chernin Group along with Comcast Ventures and WPP. “Fullscreen’s mission is to empower a new generation of video creators to reach online audiences on a global […]

June 19, 2013

Time Warner in China investment initiative

Time Warner Inc and China Media Capital, China’s leading investment fund focused on media and entertainment, have formed a strategic investment partnership. The news was revealed in the western Chinese city of Chengdu, where business leaders convened for the 2013 Fortune Global Forum. The partnership aims to capitalise on China’s rapidly expanding media sector as […]

June 7, 2013By Colin Mann

ABS-CBN raises $60m for digital expansion

ABS-CBN of the Philippines has raised 2.5 billion Philippines Pesos (about $60 million) for digital TV expansion. The cash is part of a larger plan, totalling P4 billion (about $95 million), with P1.5 billion of the cash coming from a sister company of current owners the Lopez Group. However, P2.5 billion will come from a […]

June 7, 2013By Chris Forrester

Fastly raises $10m Series B round

Fastly, the real-time content delivery network, announced that it has raised a $10 million Series B round from August Capital. This follows a previous $1 million Series A from Amplify Partners, Battery Ventures and O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures. “The Fastly approach fundamentally changes the way we think about user experiences on mobile and web. The traditional […]

June 6, 2013

News Corp, Hearst back Roku for $60m

Roku has raised $60 million in new funding from Hearst Corporation, News Corp and Sky as well as institutional investor Fidelity. The company said that the new investment will help Roku expand its streaming services. Roku said it has now raised $140 million to date. Roku competes with Apple TV and is working with US […]

May 30, 2013

TuneIn online radio raises $25m

TuneIn has raised a new $25 million round of funding. TuneIn CEO John Donham says that he intends to spend the new funding on a monetisation strategy that could help radio broadcasters finally make money with their programming online, and in turn transform a $30 billion industry. TuneIn is offering access to live and on-demand […]

May 29, 2013

Low rating for Intelsat’s borrowings

Moody’s Investors Service doesn’t think much of Intelsat’s latest batch of borrowings, assigning an issue of $2 billion in unsecured debt at a B3 rating, and an even lower Caa1 rating to the satellite operator’s $635 million notes. However, Moody’s also reminds investors that Intelsat’s other debt  are at much the same rating. “While the […]

May 28, 2013By Chris Forrester

Soros backs UK fibre firm

George Soros has invested £50 million (€59m) into Hyperoptic, the British fibre broadband provider, to help expand the business across the UK. Hyperoptic builds high-speed broadband connections of up to 1gbps to residential developments. The group has secured the amount from investors led by Quantum Strategic Partners, a private investment vehicle managed by Soros Fund […]

May 23, 2013