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%.
RM4 million deal completed through internal funding
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.
Headline Media’s profits grew over six times in one year
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.”
Catcha Digital eyes more growth through strategic acquisitions
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.
