What Sabay Digital does

Sabay Digital is a privately held Cambodian digital entertainment and technology company founded in 2007 by Chy Sila in Phnom Penh, originally as CIDC Information Technology. The company operates a vertically integrated digital ecosystem serving Khmer-speaking consumers and enterprise clients: a portfolio of Khmer-language content portals (Sabay News, Kanha, Kley Kley, Entertainment, Social, Sports, Tech), SOYO membership streaming, localized PC and mobile gaming titles (AK 2, JX II, King of Cards), the Osja in-house game studio, E-Novel publishing, ECAM Shopping e-commerce, and the Digital Cambodia technology expo plus NET eSports tournament. Underlying infrastructure includes the CNX Internet Exchange, cloud and data center services, and the blockchain-based Secure Settlement Network (SSN) payment ledger launched in 2019. The COO is Mike Gaertner, a 20-year Cambodia IT veteran and former builder of the country's first ISP.

The business model combines B2C monetization (SOYO subscription streaming, gaming, e-commerce) with B2B digital solutions (digital advertising, content marketing, bespoke application development, graphic design and animation, server/application hosting, payment integrations) sold directly to enterprise clients including Coca-Cola, Manulife, Smart, Canadia Bank, CIMB, Borey Peng Huoth, and Rakuten Viber. Revenue streams span advertising, subscription/recurring, professional services, and managed services, with advertising and event-based B2B marketing appearing to be the most material given the visibility of named campaign outcomes (e.g., 100K+ attendees at Coke Food Festival, 5,000+ at Manulife Move Fair 2019). Distribution is primarily domestic Cambodian via self-serve consumer channels (portals, apps, SOYO) and direct enterprise sales, with historical regional offices opened in Singapore (2013), Myanmar (2014), and China (2015). The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors or parent; no funding rounds are documented in available sources.

Name

Sabay Digital

Legal name

Sabay Digital Plus Co., Ltd.

Website

https://sabay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sabay Digital is a Cambodian digital entertainment and technology company (founded 2007, Phnom Penh) operating Khmer-language content portals, SOYO streaming, gaming, e-commerce, fintech payment infrastructure (SSN), and B2B digital marketing services for Khmer consumers and enterprise brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media & Entertainment

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Content & Media Subscriptions (CRAFAIAA)

Keywords

• Digital content platforms
• Online gaming services
• Video streaming platform
• Digital advertising solutions
• Payment infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Phnom Penh

HQ country

Cambodia

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Digital Advertising: Enterprise clients engage Sabay for digital advertising solutions, leveraging the company's extensive content portals and audience reach in Cambodia.
2. Content Marketing Services: Bespoke content creation and marketing services for enterprise clients including TVC production, brand campaigns, and graphic design.
3. SOYO Membership: Membership-driven streaming service offering Khmer, Thai and Western movies and TV shows.
4. Server and Application Hosting: Cloud application hosting and data center services for enterprise clients.
5. Gaming: Game publishing including AK2: Attack Online and JX II: Warlords, along with eSports events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sabay Digital operates a portfolio of Khmer-language digital content portals (Sabay News and verticals), a membership-driven video streaming service (SOYO), online PC and mobile games, an e-commerce platform (ECAM Shopping), and B2B digital solutions including digital advertising, content marketing, cloud hosting, payment infrastructure (Secure Settlement Network), and bespoke application development. The company also runs an Internet Exchange (CNX) and in-house game development studio (Osja) serving the Cambodian market.

Product overview

Sabay Digital is a comprehensive Cambodian digital entertainment and technology ecosystem consisting of content platforms, streaming services, gaming products, e-commerce, fintech payments infrastructure, and professional digital services. The portfolio includes: content portals (Sabay News with specialized verticals like Kanha, Kley Kley, Entertainment, Social, Sports, Tech); streaming (SOYO VOD platform); gaming (AK2: Attack Online, JX II: Warlords, King of Cards, Osja studio); publishing (E-Novel Publisher); infrastructure (Secure Settlement Network payment ledger, CNX Internet Exchange, Cloud Hosting, Data Center Services); and professional services (content marketing, digital advertising, application development, graphic design, e-sports events). The company operates from a single main office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and previously maintained regional offices in Singapore (2013), Myanmar (2014), and China (2015).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sabay News: Online portal for news and entertainment content in Khmer
• Kanha
• Kley Kley
• SOYO
• Sabay TV
• E-Novel Publisher
• ECAM Shopping
• Secure Settlement Network (SSN)
• CNX (Cambodian Network Exchange)
• Osja
• Sabay Tekh

Products and services

• Sabay News An extensive web portal that serves as a source of Khmer digital news and entertainment content, in the form of written articles as well as premium video. It is the most popular and most visited Khmer website as of 2014.
• Kanha Cambodia's only women-focused ePortal targeted at the Cambodian woman demographic.
• Kley Kley An ePortal for quickfire global and business updates, focused on business news.
• Sabay News Entertainment

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100K audience reach at Coke Food Festival across 3 locations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DiplominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019In 2019, Sabay brought world-renowned DJ Diplo for an unforgettable night at Sound Club Phnom Penh, representing a high-profile entertainment event partnership.
• Sound Club Phnom PenhminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Venue partnership for the Diplo Live in Phnom Penh event, hosting the international DJ performance.
• ECAM ShoppingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017ECAM Shopping, a leading online shopping portal in Cambodia since 2012, joined the Sabay group in 2017, expanding Sabay's e-commerce capabilities.
• National Olympic Committee of CambodiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Sabay co-founded the eSport federation along with the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, establishing the formal structure for eSports in the country.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sea Limited (Garena): Southeast Asian gaming and digital entertainment platform (Garena games, Shopee e-commerce, SeaMoney fintech). Overlaps with Sabay's gaming, e-commerce, and digital content businesses, but at vastly larger scale across the region.
• iQIYI: Tencent-affiliated Asian streaming platform expanding across Southeast Asia. Competes with SOYO at the regional streaming tier and represents the type of well-capitalized entrant Sabay must defend against.
• Netflix: Global streaming incumbent actively expanding Khmer-language content and SEA presence. Competes with SOYO at the premium streaming tier with substantially larger content budgets.

Regional players

• Cellcard (CamGSM): One of Cambodia's largest mobile operators with growing digital content and entertainment services. Adjacent competitor in Cambodian digital entertainment and content distribution.
• RASMEY HANG MEAS (Fresh News): Leading Cambodian-language news portal and digital media outlet. Competes with Sabay News for Khmer-language news audience and ad inventory in the Cambodian market.

Direct peers

• WeTV (Tencent): Tencent-owned streaming service focused on Asian content across Southeast Asia. Directly competes with SOYO for streaming wallet share and provides a benchmark for localized Asian streaming monetization.
• VNG Corporation: Vietnamese digital content and gaming platform (Zalo, Zing MP3, ZaloPay) with a similar multi-vertical consumer-internet + fintech + gaming playbook. Most structurally comparable to Sabay as a regional SE Asian digital-entertainment incumbent.
• Viu (PCCW): PCCW's pan-Asian streaming service offering localized content in SEA. Direct streaming competitor to SOYO with broader content library and established SEA presence.
• Khmerload: One of Cambodia's largest Khmer-language news and entertainment portals. Directly competes with Sabay News for Khmer-speaking audience and advertiser spend in Cambodia.

Others

• Wavemaker / GroupM Cambodia: International media-buying networks operating in Cambodia. Indirect competitor to Sabay's enterprise digital advertising business, competing for the same brand-marketing budgets from clients like Coca-Cola and Manulife.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SabayTv
• Facebookfacebook.com/sabay.com.kh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1942483

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sabay Digital