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The town of New Providence, N.J. may seem like an unlikely home for a company that’s just inked a new deal with Big Hit Entertainment<\/a> (the label behind the global K-pop supergroup BTS) and raised tens of millions of dollars from some of the largest venture capital firms in the United States, but Kiswe Mobile<\/a> is proof that valuable startups can come from anywhere.<\/p>\n Founded in 2013 and led by chief executive, Mike Schabel, Kiswe Mobile is now extending its relationship with Big Hit from a one-time show in early December to an agreement that will extend well beyond the next BTS <\/a> gig in what the two companies described as a “global partnership”.<\/p>\n Schabel declined to disclose any terms of the partnership agreement but said that it was more than a simple business contract between the two entities.<\/p>\n For the past seven years Kiswe has worked with some of the biggest sports and entertainment leagues in the U.S., including the National Basketball Association, <\/a> Major League Soccer and the Professional Golf Association on streaming live events. In recent years the company has added eSports to its roster — and live events including that December BTS show.<\/p>\n Founded by former President of Bell Labs, <\/a> Jeong Kim, along with Wim Sweldens and Jimmy Lynn back in 2013, Kiswe Mobile offers a streaming service that has four different components that live entertainment needs to get back on track in the post-COVID era of social distancing.<\/p>\n The company’s technology offers a central production system for concert producers to process video and audio, multi-camera and interactive viewing options for fans watching the show to communicate with the live performers and each other, and presenting it exclusively by either geo-location or through ticketing.<\/p>\n “This MOU opens the possibility for diversified innovation in the global market by combining Big Hit’s content planning know-how and Kiswe’s technology, said Big Hit chief executive Lenzo Yoon, in a statement.<\/p>\n Behind all of this technology are a number of high profile investors including New Enterprise Associates, the multi-billion venture capital firm based outside of Balitmore. Other investors include Revolution, the Washington, DC-based investment firm founded by Steve Case; Ted Leonsis, <\/a> a co-founder of Revolution and the founder of Monumental Sports Group, and company founder Jeong Kim.<\/p>\n The company has raised well over $20 million in financing since its launch in 2013, but Schabel declined to disclose the total amount the company raised.<\/p>\n The Big Hit deal is meant to serve a precursor to the launch of a new BTS Concert and convention called “BANG BANG CON The Live” later this month.<\/p>\n That show is, itself, a prelude to more interactive events from Big Hit’s roster of talent powered by Kiswe Mobile.<\/p>\n Technologies like Kiswe’s are arriving at a time when live events need them the most. The recent Travis Scott <\/a> Fortnite experience, and Marshmello’s earlier turn behind the virtual wheels of steel in Epic Games’ <\/a> breakout hit are among a number of new technologies that are looking to bring at least some of the magic of shared experiences and entertainment to fans that are hungry for it.<\/p>\n Several startups are taking this moment to push interactive live experiences for audiences. They include the virtual concert design and distribution platform, WaveXR; the interactive streaming service, Caffeine, and development firms like Zoan, which created a virtual concert experience for Helsinki’s May Day celebrations that brought a crowd of 1 million.<\/p>\n Kiswe’s deal with Big Hit arguably taps into the biggest, and most rabid fo the music industry’s fanbases by reaching the members of the BTS Army.<\/p>\n As Schabel acknowledged in a statement, “Kiswe’s relationship with Big Hit Entertainment expands our huge global sports and media footprint into the music sector and allows Kiswe and Big Hit to explore new ventures in the industry.”<\/p>\n Tags:<\/b> Jonathan Shieber<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" <\/div>\nSee Campaign: <\/strong>http:\/\/http:\/\/bighitcorp.com\/eng\/<\/a>
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Jonathan Shieber<\/p>\n
<\/a>, Wire<\/a>, United States<\/a>, English<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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The town of New Providence, N.J. may seem like an unlikely home for a company that’s just inked a new deal with Big Hit Entertainment (the label behind the global K-pop supergroup BTS) and raised tens of millions of dollars from some of the largest venture capital firms in the United States, but Kiswe Mobile is proof that valuable … Continue reading BTS label Big Hit Entertainment inks broad partnership with streaming tech company Kiswe<\/span><\/a> Continue Reading