<article>Taiwan-based global live broadcasting platform <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/china-hero-entertainment-secures-288m-investment-from-huayi-brothers-53367/" target="_blank">Next Entertainment </a>has bagged $25 million in Series A funding in a round led by China&#8217;s live streaming app Inke.</article>

Taiwan-based global live broadcasting platform <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/china-hero-entertainment-secures-288m-investment-from-huayi-brothers-53367/" target="_blank">Next Entertainment </a>has bagged $25 million in Series A funding in a round led by China&#8217;s live streaming app Inke.
The funds will be used for the company&#8217;s newly launched live streaming service MeMe, a platform that enables anyone to stream, interact with their audience, build a following, and get paid to do it.
Among others who participated in the funding round were games developer FunPlus, leading Chinese venture capital company <a href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/38962-38962/" target="_blank">GSR Ventures</a>, and San Francisco-based investment company <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/food-tech-start-up-box8-raises-rs50-crore-56173/" target="_blank">Mayfield</a>, according to a statement issued by the Taiwan firm last week.
As a venture capital firm GSR Ventures has earlier invested in Inke, Chinese ride hailing app <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/china-12-58827/" target="_blank">Didi</a>, and China food delivery service Erlema, while Mayfield has previously invested in US ridesharing app Lyft.
&#8220;As part of the funding agreement, Next Entertainment plans to leverage Inke&#8217;s experience in the live streaming market to deliver more tailor-made and interactive services to global users,&#8221; the statement said.
Led by CEO Andy Zhong who also has FunPlus to his credit, the Next Entertainment plans to expand cross-market and try to globalise a model that has been highly successful in China.
Viewers on MeMe can interact with performers and other viewers, showing their support, and increasing their own following and profile along the way. The service launched in Taiwan in October 2016, and will launch in other territories in 2017.
&#8220;As far as monetization goes, you can think about this as digital tips for performers who have hyper local appeal&#8230;If you bid high enough, you might be the preferred fan or the one who gets to make a request. It mimics real-life behavior at clubs, where you buy someone a bottle of champagne,&#8221; according to Mayfield managing director Tim Chang.
Next Entertainment, a venture-funded company focused on changing the way people find, watch, and interact with video has investors that include Inke, FunPlus, GSR Ventures, and the Mayfield Fund. It has employees in Taiwan, Tokyo, Beijing, and San Francisco.
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Taiwan-based global live broadcasting platform Next Entertainment has bagged $25 million in Series A funding in a round led by China's live streaming app Inke.

Taiwan's Next Entertainment bags $25m in round led by China streaming app Inke

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Taiwan's Next Entertainment bags $25m in round led by China streaming app Inke

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