THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – Insiders say Beijing isn’t likely to risk impacting its booming box office in retaliation against tariffs, but the aggressive U.S. stance could further delay stalled film-quota negotiations.
Deal Street Asia – Alibaba Taiwan Entrepreneurs Fund II, managed by WI Harper Group, has led an RMB100 million ($15.5 million) Series B round in boutique fitness studio chain Space Cycle. The transaction marks the fund’s largest investment to date. CastleHill Partners was the exclusive financial advisor to Space Cycle for this transaction.
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – The mysterious Chinese firm has signed an impressive roster of veteran Hollywood filmmakers to development pacts, including F Gary Gray, Roland Emmerich and James Wan. China might be escalating its crackdown on investment into Hollywood, but at least one bold film company with Middle Kingdom roots is forging ahead undeterred.
Chinese companies and entrepreneurs have poured billions of dollars into buying soccer clubs across Europe.
Now, those companies are turning to the sport that is sometimes referred to in China as “soccer on ice,” at a
moment the NHL is readying a major new push into the world’s most populous country.
THE GLOBE AND MAIL – Sino-Hollywood’s most expensive co-production of all time seeks to break down barriers between East and West, but the film once again shows that lofty goal may be easier said than done
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – Beijing begins monitoring “irrational” investments in entertainment companies (even while Alibaba pledges $7.2 billion) as one deal falls apart and all eyes focus on Trump.
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – In Beijing with Wang Jianlin, China’s richest man, as he weighs in on everything from Nicole Kidman (his “muse”) to Disney’s Bob Iger and NBCUniversal’s Steve Burke (“They are very gifted leaders and also very creative”) and opens up about his brutal upbringing.
Wall Street Journal Asia – Chinese companies are increasingly staking their claim on Hollywood, with Dalian Wanda Group Co. closer to its goal of becoming the world’s dominant cinema company after reports that it is in talks to buy a minority stake in the Paramount Pictures movie studio.
Caixin Online – Chinese companies are buying soccer teams across Europe, echoing the Beijing government’s ambitious plan to turn the nation into a soccer powerhouse.
The powerhouse plan, which has backing from President Xi Jinping, has led to nine deals inked by Chinese investors for stakes in soccer clubs in France, Italy, Britain and other European […]
The Hollywood Reporter – Comcast CEO Brian Roberts is betting big — to the tune of $3.8 billion — that purchasing DreamWorks Animation will deliver strategic benefits throughout NBCUniversal. In China, the deal’s potential upsides and uncertainties are especially pronounced.