Earlier this year, South Korean tech and entertainment firm Kakao bought a significant stake in K-Pop company SM Entertainment, emerging as the victor in a tussle with the latter company’s rival […]
Tag: Kakao
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Hybe to sell SM Entertainment shares while Kakao plans global expansion
The dust is settling from K-Pop firm Hybe’s attempt to become the largest shareholder in rival SM Entertainment.
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Hybe abandons its efforts to buy a 40% stake in SM Entertainment
A sudden peace has broken out in the battle for control of K-Pop music company SM Entertainment, as Hybe abandoned its efforts to buy 40%.
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Kakao wants to buy a bigger stake in K-Pop firm SM Entertainment
Things are moving fast in South Korean tech company Kakao’s efforts to buy a stake in K-Pop firm SM Entertainment.
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More K-Pop consolidation as Kakao buys into SM Entertainment
Fresh from selling a 4.2% stake to mobile games firm Com2uS in November, South Korean music company SM Entertainment now has another investor.
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Kakao Entertainment invests in synthetic speech startup Lovo
US-based Lovo is one of the startups exploring synthetic speech technology, with a system capable of reading out text in more than 180 different ‘voice skins’
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Kakao Entertainment plans merger with streaming service Melon
There are big things afoot in the South Korean music industry this week, and for once they have nothing to do with K-Pop stars like BTS or Blackpink. Instead, Kakao […]
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Kakao spends $950m on ‘storytelling’ startups from the US
South Korean firm Kakao Entertainment was recently making music industry headlines with its dispute with Spotify that briefly saw a significant chunk of K-Pop music removed from the streaming service. Kakao Entertainment […]
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Spotify gets its missing K-Pop music back with new Kakao deal
Spotify’s catalogue of K-Pop music is returning to its former glory, after the company managed to end its high-profile dispute with South Korean firm Kakao Entertainment. The new agreement is […]
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Messaging firm Kakao buys majority stake in MelOn
South Korean messaging app Kakao has acquired a controlling stake in the parent company of local music-streaming service MelOn, spending $1.6bn to acquire 74.6% of Loen Entertainment.
It’s the latest crossover between music and messaging – see Kakao rival Line’s acquisition of MixRadio and separate launch of its own Line Music last year – and in a country where the big Western streaming services have yet to make their mark.