KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – 22 December 2025 – Catcha Digital Berhad ("Catcha Digital") today announced that iMedia Asia Sdn Bhd ("iMedia"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Catcha Digital, has completed the exercise of a call option to acquire an additional 50% equity interest in Headline Media Sdn Bhd ("Headline Media"). Following the completion of this transaction, iMedia’s equity interest in Headline Media has increased from 30% to 80%.
From left: Jacky Tee (CFO of iMedia), Sarah Boey (Shareholder of Headline Media), Desmond Kan (Shareholder of Headline Media), Voon Tze Khay (CEO of iMedia), Rydah Tan (CEO and Co-Founder of Headline), Chan Jin Wen (Co-Founder of Headline), Esther Lee (Co-Founder of Headline), Dylan Tan (Co-Founder of Headline), Sarah Yeoh (Co-Founder of Headline), Cedric Lee (Vice President, Investments of Catcha Digital)
The total purchase consideration for the acquisition of the additional 50% stake amounts to RM4.0 million, to be funded via internally generated funds. The acquisition was undertaken pursuant to the execution of a Supplemental Agreement dated 22 December 2025, which supplements the original Share Sale Agreement dated 9 October 2023. Under the varied terms of the Call Option, 20% of the consideration is to be paid upfront upon Completion, with the remaining 80% payable within 12 months post-completion.
The decision to exercise the call option reflects Catcha Digital’s strong conviction in Headline Media’s operational performance and growth trajectory. Since Catcha Digital’s initial acquisition of a 30% stake in December 2023, Headline Media’s annual net profit after tax has grown by more than six-fold in one year, from RM139K in the financial year ended December 2023 to RM897K in the financial year ended December 2024. The Group expects the profitability of the business to continue to scale meaningfully over the coming years, underpinned by continued audience growth, monetisation initiatives and deeper operational integration within iMedia’s digital media ecosystem.
Headline Media, co-founded by Rydah Tan, Chan Jin Wen, Dylan Tan, Esther Lee and Sarah Yeoh, owns and operates a portfolio of leading digital media brands in Malaysia, anchored by WeirdKaya (www.weirdkaya.com), one of Malaysia’s fastest-growing English social news platforms. Collectively, Headline Media’s brands, which also include LokLokWords and EzLokal Food, achieve a combined monthly reach of approximately 17 million users across social media platforms and websites, with a total follower base of approximately 1.2 million across its social media accounts.
Patrick Grove, Chairman of Catcha Digital, said: “The decision to exercise the call option and increase our stake in Headline Media to 80% underscores our strong confidence in the quality of the business and the execution capabilities of the team. In just one year since our initial investment, Headline Media has delivered exceptional profit growth. This transaction reflects our conviction-led capital allocation approach as we continue to build a permanent home for market-leading technology and media companies in Malaysia through disciplined, high-quality acquisitions.”
Rydah Tan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Headline Media, said: “Our partnership with Catcha Digital has significantly accelerated Headline Media’s growth over a short period of time. We are proud of the progress we have made, particularly in scaling profitability and strengthening our brands. Increasing iMedia’s stake is a strong vote of confidence in our team and our long-term vision, and we are excited to continue building the business together as part of a larger digital media platform.”
Excluding the exercise of the Call Option of Headline Media, Catcha Digital has announced 7 strategic acquisitions in the last twelve months, each positioned to strengthen its foothold in the digital economy and contribute positively to future earnings. The aggregate expected profit to be achieved by each target company as disclosed below is approximately RM19.4 million, based on their respective 12-month post-completion periods or FYE 31 December 2025 where applicable.
On 6 November 2025, Catcha Digital announced an acquisition of 100% interest in Maxoom Sdn Bhd (“Maxoom”) for RM6.125 million, which was completed on 5 December 2025. The payment, to be made in two tranches over 12 months.
On 14 August 2025, Catcha Digital announced an acquisition of 60% interest in One International Exhibition Sdn Bhd (“One International”) for RM11.38 million, which was completed on 27 August 2025. The payment, to be made in three tranches over 24 months, is contingent on One International achieving a profit after tax and minority interest of RM2.75 million in the first 12 months post-completion and RM3.16 million in the subsequent 12 months.
On 24 March 2025, Catcha Digital announced an acquisition of 92.5% interest in Theta Service Partner Sdn Bhd (“Theta”) for RM35.0 million. The payment, to be made in four tranches, is contingent on Theta achieving PAT of RM3.5 million, RM4.0 million, and RM5.0 million for the financial years ending 31 December 2024, 31 December 2025, and 31 December 2026, respectively. The acquisition of Theta has not been completed as it is pending the fulfilment of the conditions precedent under the conditional share sale agreement.
On 14 March 2025, Catcha Digital announced an acquisition of 60% interest in Framemotion Studio Sdn Bhd (“Framemotion”) for RM37.32 million, which was completed on 17 December 2025. The payment, to be made in three tranches over 24 months, is contingent on Framemotion achieving a profit after tax and minority interest of RM6.8 million in the first 12 months post-completion and RM6.8 million in the subsequent 12 months.
On 20 December 2024, Catcha Digital announced a 60% acquisition of Drive 2 Digital Sdn Bhd ("D2D") for RM16.2 million, which was completed on 7 May 2025. The payment, to be made in three tranches over 24 months, is contingent on D2D achieving a PAT of RM3.5 million in the first 12 months post-completion and RM4.2 million in the subsequent 12 months.
On 19 December 2024, Catcha Digital announced a 70% acquisition of Tastefully Malaysia Sdn Bhd (“Tastefully”) for RM7.6 million, which was completed on 18 June 2025. The payment, to be made in four tranches over 36 months, is contingent on Tastefully achieving a PAT of RM0.5 million for the FYE 2024, RM1.1 million for the first 12 months after completion, RM1.4 million for the subsequent 12 months, and RM1.6 million for the final 12 months.
On 28 November 2024, Catcha Digital announced a 51% acquisition of Nexible Solutions Sdn Bhd (“Nexible”) for RM11.3 million, which was completed on 22 January 2025. The purchase considerations are to be paid in four tranches and is tied to the achievement of the profit after-tax guarantee (“PAT Guarantee”) over the period of 36 months, broken down into PAT Guarantee of RM0.7 million, RM1.2 million, RM2.2 million and RM3.3 million for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2024, 31 December 2025, 31 December 2026 and 31 December 2027 respectively.
