REV Asia attains 25 percent stake in Chinese social news portal

The digital media group’s MD believes acquisition will strengthen its position in the millennial Chinese-speaking online community.

REV Asia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Media Prima Digital, has acquired a 25 percent stake in Monster Scape, the owner and publisher of Chinese-language social news portal TanTanNews.

A January 2 New Straits Times report indicates that as part of the deal, REV Asia will be representing the online news portal as its exclusive advertising reselling partner.

Launched in 2013, TanTanNews features the latest content that mainly focuses on entertainment, travel, fashion and lifestyle topics.

Google Analytics has shown that the portal recorded 2.8 million page views and one million users in November 2018.

Reaching out to Chinese-speaking millennials

According to TanTanNews founder Sean Teoh, joining Malaysia’s largest media group will enable the firm to help more advertisers reach out to its audience, while it leverages on Media Prima Digital’s platforms to build more creative content.

“This partnership will also allow us to focus on our technology for building more innovative products to serve all users across Media Prima Digital and TanTanNews,” Teoh said.

REV Asia managing director Voon Tze Khay said the acquisition of TanTanNews will further strengthen its dominant position in the millennial Chinese-speaking online community, and enable REV Asia to expand to users in the social news and entertainment segments.

“As the pioneer and leader in providing sponsored content solutions to advertisers in Malaysia, the addition of TanTanNews will allow REV Asia to scale at a rapid pace in helping potential advertisers reach out to the younger Chinese market inclined to reading news content.”

“In addition to sponsored content, REV Asia will also extend its small and medium enterprise content offerings to TanTanNews,” Voon added.

REV Asia, which is one of Southeast Asia’s most influential digital media groups, owns and operates various online brands that include SAYS, 8coin, OhBulan!, JUICE, ViralCham, RojakLah, KongsiResipi, MyResipi and SirapLimau.

According to the group’s website, its content assets are able to attract more than nine million monthly unique visitors.

Media Prima Digital acquired REV Asia for RM105 million in May 2017.