MNC,Tencent, and Hillhouse Announces JV in Indonesia

Martin Lau (DOK)

JAKARTA (IndoTelko) – MNC Media  along with Tencent announces their joint venture with support from Hillhouse, a leading Asia-based institutional investment firm.

Mr. Hary Tanoesoedibjo, CEO MNC Group, has expressed his delight in this joint venture.

“We are very pleased to be in a business cooperation with Tencent, a global company that is well recognized of having the technological strengths to enhance the communication experience in this digital era. The combination of Tencent’s unique technology and expertise as well as MNC Media’s significant presence in Indonesia’s media industry will greatly ensure the success of the joint venture in fully capitalizing the vast potential growth of Indonesia’s Internet based services. WeChat, a mobile social communication services is an example of Tencent’s many products and services that is quickly gaining popularity in Indonesia “We wish to express our gratitude to Hillhouse Capital Management for their valuable assistance in consummating this joint venture” he explained.

Mr. Lei Zhang, the founder and CEO of Hillhouse said: "We are honored to help bring together two world-class partners and also excited about our participation in the offering of this fantastic service."Tencent, one of the top five Internet companies in the world by market capitalization,is very pleased to join forces with MNC Media.

“Tencent’s cooperation with MNC Media is a strategic step to establish a more expansive user base in the Indonesia.” said Mr. Martin Lau, President of Tencent. “The Joint Venture will be set up in Indonesia to develop and operate in the area of Internet and mobile Internet as well as other products and services of Tencent that may be launched in Indonesia.”

Mr. Martin Lau further added that “We have a great respect for MNC Media because they are one of the largest and most influential media companies in Indonesia. The combination of Tencent’s unique technology and expertise as well as MNC Media’s significant presence in Indonesia’s media industry will lay a solid foundation to explore the vast potential growth of Indonesia’s Internet industry. We would like to thank Hillhouse for bringing this cooperation together and recognizing the value in combining the strength and knowledge of MNC Media and Tencent,”.

One of Tencent’s most popular products which has been available in Indonesia since 2012 is WeChat. This free social communication service for smartphones has garnered more than 300 million registered user accounts worldwide. Recently Tencent launched WeChat for BlackBerry, verifying its hold on the major smartphone platforms available. WeChat for BlackBerry has since been very well received in Indonesia, one of the countries with the most number of BlackBerry users.

As part of the cooperation, MNC Media’s subsidiaries will have official accounts on WeChat, to directly interact with their consumer base and to provide them with useful information and updates about the company’s services. The Joint Venture has also launched a WeChat TV commercial which started airing on February 23rd 2013. It has been broadcasted on three of the most popular TV stations in Indonesia, namely RCTI, Global TV, and Trans 7. The commercial features Gisel, a young and talented female idol who represents the fresh and fun experience of WeChat.

“It’s a great honor to have MNC Media and Hillhouse as our partner. We are confident that this Joint Venture with MNC Media and Hillhouse will expand our reach further in Indonesia and bring us closer to Indonesian mobile device users by making us the number one choice for their social communication service.” Mr. Martin Lau concluded.(es)