Singapore reality TV show Start-UP ventures into Indonesia

Singapore-based giant MediaCorp announced today it has partnered with Indonesian media group KapanLagi Network in a deal that will see business and media collaboration in many areas. The announcement came during the exclusive season two premiere of Channel NewsAsia’s Start-UP television series.

Start-UP is a project that includes a reality TV series that follows a group of entrepreneurs through a televised competition. Their aim is to pitch for part of a S$2 million (US$1.6 million) pot of seed funding. The show’s contestants were selected after a call for entry in August, followed by an entrepreneur bootcamp in Myanmar. Start-UP season two finalists include entrepreneurs from Indonesia, Myanmar, and Malaysia. Alongside the show is a web portal that lets viewers chat live with the founders, as well as read and respond to blog posts from them.

Channel NewsAsia is a subsidiary of MediaCorp, and Start-UP now falls under the umbrella of the new partnership. However, Channel NewsAsia will retain all the rights to the show. Channel NewsAsia will share production material and expertise for the construction of a new Start-UP web portal for KapanLagi’s Indonesian viewers.

“This relationship brings together two of the region’s top enterprises in an area of common interest, how to grow future businesses in asia, particularly in the digital space,” says Debra Soon, head of MediaCorp’s news segment.

See: MediaCorp opens up on failures and future direction in the digital and startup space

At the event, the partners also announced KLN Play, a new incubator in Jakarta that will operate under the media giant and provide seed funding and strategic support for startups. KapanLagi says KLN Play will help startups build traffic, boost branding, provide IT advice, give mentorship and provide potential advertising links.

As a result of the partnership, KapanLagi will also open several new verticals in 2015, including domain names Tech.id, which will cover science, startups, and mobile lifestyle; Money.id, to cover money and business; Feed.id, for trending internet news; and Mille.id, which will cover social content news for the new generation.

Last March, after KapanLagi merged with local media company Fimela, it became the largest online media company in the archipelago, surpassing local contenders Detik and Kompas in terms of unique monthly visits.

MediaCorp has been relatively active in Southeast Asia’s tech startup scene in recent years. It has ventured into mobile apps, ecommerce, startup incubation, and even venture capital. “We’re looking at digital media in the broad sense. It can range from lifestyle, food, to fashion. It could also be around video streaming technology, augmented reality, and analytics,” MediaCorp’s strategic planning head Guillaume Sachet told Tech in Asia at at the end of 2013.