The Information Lens, an on-line journalism startup that aims to be the voice of cause in Asia’s raucous media landscape, will concentration on producing extra authentic video content material soon after landing a Sequence B spherical. The startup hasn’t disclosed the exact amount of money, but says it is in the range of $two million to $3 million.
Established in 2013 as an antidote to the country’s scandal-obsessed tabloids, The Information Lens has due to the fact grown to include separate editions for Hong Kong and intercontinental audience.
Its Sequence B was led by Wiskey Cash and features returning trader North Base Media, a fund created by former Washington Write-up government editor Marcus Brauchli and Media Improvement Loan Fund founder Sasa Vucinic to assist impartial media startups.
Other financial commitment companies and angel investors that took aspect have been Walden International, Trinity Financial investment, Angelvest, Dorcas Investments, Vic Chen, Ogilvy PR Taiwan controlling director Wei Shang, Irene Chen, board director of the Basis for Excellent Journalism, Camp Mobile Taiwan common supervisor Edgar Chiu and Alice Sunlight, co-founder and COO of Knock Know.
Chung says that when The Information Lens announced its Sequence A in May well 2015, it had about 3 million to four million month-to-month distinctive visitors. That metric has now elevated to five million to 6 million, and the company’s aim is to include a further million month-to-month distinctive visitors to its web pages by the stop of this yr.
The Information Lens currently has a employees of about 70 and places of work in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Its Sequence B will be utilised to make extra video content material and livestreams with The Information Lens’ new world news anchor, Jennifer Shen, one of Taiwan’s most prolific and recognizable Tv journalists.
The addition of Shen is a big phase simply because it shows that the site—which commenced as a Facebook page—now has the electricity to contend with proven media companies not only for eyeballs, but also for talent.
“It’s the very first time in Taiwan historical past where another person of her caliber from traditional Tv has occur more than to sign up for new media, so it’s like a milestone, where a new media startup in Taiwan has last but not least grown up and we last but not least satisfy in the center,” says Chung. “It definitely symbolizes that it’s a key participant and can appeal to superior-caliber talent—the number one anchor from the number one Tv channel—to our organization.”
The Information Lens is one of the most outstanding electronic media startups based in Asia or created for Asian readers that have received traction through social media, this sort of as YouTube channel 88Rising, way of living journal Juksy, and journey web-site Black Buddha. Like The Information Lens, these businesses are focused to young, educated audiences who are disillusioned by traditional media stores.
A different signal that The Information Lens is starting to be a bonafide competitor to mainstream publications (in Taiwan, these include the Apple Day-to-day, the Liberty Situations and the United Day-to-day) is its new content material partnership with Time Inc., which makes it possible for it to translate and publish article content from Time and Fortune. Written content licensing to textbook publishers and other web pages is also a growing profits stream.
Chung says that more than the subsequent couple of many years, The Information Lens plans to make three or 4 new web pages that will concentration on business, women’s concerns, way of living and journey. Its very first way of living web-site, identified as Each and every Little D (which stands for “details”), introduced in January and Chung hopes it will make new chances for focused marketing by attracting audience who commonly skip headline news. Politically-neutral gentle news may well also aid The Information Lens break through mainland China’s Excellent Firewall.
“There’s no cause why a piece on bespoke customized suit just can’t be taken across platforms in Higher China and in English editions. We want to experiment with this for the Chinese market,” says Chung. “Lifestyle may be the one that is not blocked in China.”
Showcased Graphic: The Information Lens
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