iflix secures US$90 million funding, eyes global expansion

iflix has closed a new round of funding in excess of US$90 million to support its further international expansion. The new round will fund company’s expansion into the Middle East, Africa and new markets throughout Asia, stated the company in a press release.The financing includes new investors – Liberty Global, major distributor of TV entertainment, sports and other programming, Zain, a mobile and data services operator in the Middle East and Africa with whom iflix recently established a joint venture ‘iflix Arabia’ in the MENA region, and a privately held investment management firm that invests in consumer businesses across Africa.Additional capital also came from existing shareholders Sky PLC, Catcha Group and Los Angeles-based Evolution Media, an investment company that partners with entertainment, lifestyle, media, sports, and technology businesses.“We are incredibly excited with the demand we are seeing for iflix in the Middle East and Africa, as well as other new markets in Asia and worldwide. The new funds will enable us to seize this immense opportunity and continue empower local consumers and provide them with the best content and services available, and the freedom to enjoy that offering whenever and wherever they want, wherever they are in the world,” said iflix co-founder and group CEO, Mark Britt (pictured).He added there are currently more than 2.5 billion people with smartphones in emerging markets who have a passion for cultural influences from around the globe and want access to the best entertainment content available easily and reliably.“It is our aim to make iflix available to each and every one of them. Having exceptional partners, Liberty Global, Zain, Sky PLC, Evolution Media and Catcha Group who share our vision, will be fundamental to our success as we expand our footprint in Asia and roll out the service in the Middle East and Africa” Britt added."In the last year since Sky joined as a shareholder, we have seen the company surpass its milestones, including consolidating its leading market position in Southeast Asia and expanding its footprint into new regions," said Sky Plc, group chief operating officer, Andrew Griffith.“Investing in an innovative emerging business like iflix enables us to gain an even greater insight into subscription video on demand services, as we continue to develop our own evolving video entertainment propositions for millions of our customers throughout Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean,” said, Bruxe Mann, Liberty Global’s chief programming officer.“With an estimated 880 million connected mobile devices in Africa and the Middle East by 2020, the opportunity in the regions is immense. At Catcha Group, we are thrilled to be a part of iflix’s exciting journey, and to continue supporting the company in its quest to re-define entertainment for the more than one billion people in emerging markets around the world," said Catcha group co-founder and CEO, Patrick Grove.