NEWS
SBS announces US$20m investment in Indonesia’s MD Entertainment; Korean media giant’s bid to tap into Southeast Asia
01 July 2025
Korean broadcast giant SBS is putting US$20 million behind new Indonesia plans, with SBS President Bang Moon-shin saying today that its stake in Manoj Punjabi’s MD Entertainment was “part of our new growth strategy and an effort to strengthen overseas partnerships”.
Bang said that the acquisition, which will give SBS a 3.8% stake in Indonesia’s biggest production house, supported Indonesia’s emergence as a “key hub” in the Southeast Asian content market.
The transaction was approved by Indonesia's financial regulators on Wednesday last week.
"This allows us to establish a foothold in the Southeast Asian content market and diversify our global content partnerships,” he said, highlighting SBS’ global strategy of “Going beyond terrestrial, going beyond Korea”.
“We will continue to expand various profitable overseas partnerships,” Bang said.
The investment involves SBS acquiring a portion of the preemptive rights held by MD Entertainment's largest shareholder, MD Corp Enterprises, at a discounted rate, as part of a paid-in capital increase.
MD Entertainment said the deal was part of its strategy to “strengthen its capital structure and support long-term business expansion”.
“The entry of SBS Co., Ltd. as a strategic investor not only bolsters our financial position but also unlocks valuable cross-border collaboration potential for our global expansion,” Punjabi said.
Proceeds would be used to repay an IDR 748.2 billion/US$46.2 million bank loan and for working capital, including film production and other operational expenses.
“This move is expected to reduce interest burden, improve financial ratios, and establish a strong foundation for the Company’s growth initiatives amid the dynamic digital entertainment ecosystem,” he said.
Founded in 2002, MD Entertainment is the first film and TV production firm to be listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The company was behind Indonesia's highest-grossing film, “KKN di Desa Penar...
Korean broadcast giant SBS is putting US$20 million behind new Indonesia plans, with SBS President Bang Moon-shin saying today that its stake in Manoj Punjabi’s MD Entertainment was “part of our new growth strategy and an effort to strengthen overseas partnerships”.
Bang said that the acquisition, which will give SBS a 3.8% stake in Indonesia’s biggest production house, supported Indonesia’s emergence as a “key hub” in the Southeast Asian content market.
The transaction was approved by Indonesia's financial regulators on Wednesday last week.
"This allows us to establish a foothold in the Southeast Asian content market and diversify our global content partnerships,” he said, highlighting SBS’ global strategy of “Going beyond terrestrial, going beyond Korea”.
“We will continue to expand various profitable overseas partnerships,” Bang said.
The investment involves SBS acquiring a portion of the preemptive rights held by MD Entertainment's largest shareholder, MD Corp Enterprises, at a discounted rate, as part of a paid-in capital increase.
MD Entertainment said the deal was part of its strategy to “strengthen its capital structure and support long-term business expansion”.
“The entry of SBS Co., Ltd. as a strategic investor not only bolsters our financial position but also unlocks valuable cross-border collaboration potential for our global expansion,” Punjabi said.
Proceeds would be used to repay an IDR 748.2 billion/US$46.2 million bank loan and for working capital, including film production and other operational expenses.
“This move is expected to reduce interest burden, improve financial ratios, and establish a strong foundation for the Company’s growth initiatives amid the dynamic digital entertainment ecosystem,” he said.
Founded in 2002, MD Entertainment is the first film and TV production firm to be listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The company was behind Indonesia's highest-grossing film, “KKN di Desa Penari” (2022) and the “Danur” series. More recently, the company expanded into broadcasting by acquiring the terrestrial channel NET TV and rebranding it as MDTV.
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