Tag: Entertainment

Manila, Philippines – The international unit of PH media network giant ABS CBN, international Filipino entertainment content producer and distributor ABS-CBN Global, has partnered with Hong Kong-based telecommunications provider SmarTone to provide quality service to Filipinos in the territory, which they announced through a virtual contract signing ceremony.

Through the partnership, the content library of ABS-CBN’s dedicated channel for overseas Filipino viewers, The Filipino Channel (TFC) will be made available to SmarTone. This also marks another milestone in ABS-CBN Global’s innovation and technology agenda as it furthers its undertaking to connect more than 200,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong to their families back home, especially with the ongoing pandemic, through easy and affordable access to information and entertainment through SmarTone.

“ABS-CBN Global remains steadfast in its commitment to serve the Filipino worldwide. It continues to be part of the OFW journey by staying as a market leader in international distribution of Filipino news and entertainment for over 25 years, consistently offering compelling content, innovative products, world-class event experiences, and strategic philanthropic outreach,” said Maribel Hernaez, managing director for Asia Pacific at ABS-CBN Global.

Meanwhile, Josephine Lam, head of marketing & sales for SmarTone, commented that their pursuit in strengthening market dominance will always be prevalent in addition to being the leading brand of prepaid SIM cards among overseas Filipinos in Hong Kong. 

“We are going to be the exclusive mobile network partners of iWantTFC in Hong Kong. Soon viewers can enjoy the greatest shows and TV dramas anytime, anywhere under SmarTone’s fast, stable and smooth network,” Lam stated.

Present in the virtual contract signing ceremony as well is Aldrin Cerrado, chief operating officer at ABS-CBN Global who stated, “In just a few years, we were able to progress with our alliance, this time to bring the home of Filipino stories via iWantTFC to hundreds of thousands of Filipinos in Hong Kong, made possible by SmarTone’s reliable payment solution.”

He added, “When partners speak the same language, they help each other continue to excel at what each does best. SmarTone and ABS-CBN Global speak the same language in this partnership, and that is the language of true service.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – MuslimKids.TV (MKTV), a Canada-based entertainment platform focused on delivering Muslim-oriented entertainment and content for Muslim families, has officially launched in Indonesia. This comes after the success it has seen in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Malaysia.

With more than ten thousand videos, games, eBooks, and do-it-yourself (DIY) content, MKTV celebrates Muslim values and faith from a child’s perspective.

The launch was facilitated last 19 March by Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno, Canadian Ambassador for Indonesia and Timor Leste Cameron MacKay and Consul General of The Republic of Indonesia in Toronto, Canada Leonard F. Hutabarat.

“I’m so pleased that Canada’s Muslim Kid’s TV (MKTV) is now available to audiences in Indonesia. Freedom of religion and expression helps to drive creativity and innovation, enabling a Canadian company from Edmonton, Alberta, to create a platform to celebrate and promote Muslim culture around the world,” MacKay stated.

He also noted that the launch also initiated a collaboration agreement with Garis Sepuluh and other Indonesian content developers “to showcase Indonesian talent to a global audience, facilitate knowledge transfer, and deliver top-quality child and family-friendly entertainment.”

Meanwhile, Hutabarat commented that the most important thing for Muslim Kids TV is to invest in Indonesia in producing animated films with selected local partners that promotes history, cultural and local wisdom. 

“I also hope that Muslim Kids TV could engage with Indonesian universities that have the best animation programs. This means that Indonesia should take advantage of Canada’s strength in animation to enable technology transfer in the animation industry and give opportunities to young Indonesian talent,” Hutabarat stated.

He added, “Indonesia is home to the largest Muslim population in the world with more than 225 million potential customers. MKTV hopes that its presence in Indonesia can help develop the digital creative industry that the Indonesian government has been promoting. The strong partnerships being developed by MKTV and local production companies align well with the Canada-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.”

MuslimKids.TV is accessible for the Indonesian market through partnerships with Indonesia’s largest mobile providers and mobile wallets including XL Axiata, Indosat, Tri, Telkomsel and OVO for mobile financial services.

For Michael Milo, CEO of MKTV, their Indonesian presence responds to the greater need for Muslim-oriented content, as the content should be safe to be viewed by Muslims and abides by their faith.

“What we found is that Muslim parents whether in Indonesia, Canada or in any other parts of the world want Muslim values reflected in the media they provide for their children. We took up the opportunity and are now the category leader with a large and loyal following in over 60 countries. It is a major milestone for us to launch in Indonesia, the country with the highest Muslim population,” Milo explained.

Meanwhile, Flordeliza Dayrit, co-founder and COO of MKTV said that while they may not be able to compete with large streaming platforms like Disney+ and Netflix, MKTV aims to address the faith and culture of Islam among Muslim children.

“We know from our audience this is tremendously meaningful. We produce about 40% of this content ourselves. We also offer a platform to upcoming producers from Muslim countries to tell local stories. This is something that Disney+ and Netflix are not doing, especially when it comes to faith-based content,” Dayrit said.

MKTV is affiliated with TEC Edmonton, the technology accelerator of the University of Alberta, and is in the works to bring Canadian stories on the platform as well, as they have tied partnerships with Canadian producers and distributors including 9Story Distribution, CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution, Gumboot Kids Media, Lofty Sky Entertainment and Snow Angel Films.

Manila, Philippines – Filipino-born live streaming platform Kumu sees a new wave of streamers on the platform, particularly artists and groups handled by ABS-CBN, one of the country’s largest media conglomerates.

The newly birthed partnership between the two parties entails greater visibility for ABS-CBN’s artists and talents outside of mainstream media, with Kumu providing an alternative channel for said artists to connect with their large fan bases locally.

With more than 100 artists and groups set to stream, some of the personalities include the top and former contestants of the reality show ‘Pinoy Big Brother’, Philippine pop groups MNL48, BINI, BGYO, and several artists from ABS-CBN’s noontime show ‘It’s Showtime’ and from talent houses Star Magic, Star Hunt, Polaris (It’s Showtime talents), Star Music, and RISE Artists Studio.

“Just like the other partnerships between ABS-CBN and Kumu, we are confident that we will be able to achieve our united goal of providing good content and meaningful experiences to our audiences,” said Jamie Lopez, head of digital at ABS-CBN.

In a statement, Kumu said that their partnership with the media conglomerate aligns with the company’s vision of “commitment to highlight Pinoy creativity and to uplift the voices of Filipino talent all around the world.”

“We are proud to be signing more talents to our platform with ABS-CBN and support the creation of positive online content — content that we need now more than ever. We foresee future opportunities to develop these talents’ careers via live streaming — opening doors for new, innovative projects in the streaming space and beyond,” Kumu said. 

The partnership was announced during the conclusion of ABS-CBN’s reality show ‘Pinoy Big Brother’, which was also co-produced by Kumu. Both companies have earlier maintained co-production partnerships, including the 2020 version of the game show ‘Game KNB’.

For Laurenti Dyogi, head of entertainment production at ABS-CBN and head at Star Magic, the parties believe that fans are the winners in this partnership as “they get more opportunity to see their favorite stars in a more casual and informal setting, and even bond with them whenever the artists stream on their official accounts on Kumu.”

“We believe in the unique experience offered by Kumu. It’s a great platform to nurture the connection between the artists and their fans. Many of our stars are actually streaming already on the platform but with this partnership, there will be even more artists coming in to bring light and joy to ‘Kumunizens’,” Dyogi stated.

Singapore – As e-commerce platform Lazada nears its ninth birthday celebration, it has announced a star-studded Lazada ‘Super Party’ concert this year, boasting a performance guest list which includes global singer-songwriter Katy Perry and K-pop boy group NCT Dream.

The Lazada Super Party is set for simulcast on 26 March across six countries in Southeast Asia to kick off Lazada’s ‘Surprise Birthday Sale’ on 27 March. Consumers across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam can tune in to the Lazada Super Party concert via Lazada’s in-app livestream channel LazLive, as well as local broadcasting networks and social media platforms. 

Centered around the theme ‘Everyday Heroes’ , Lazada said this year’s concert not only pays tribute to frontline essential workers that have been working tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but also shines the spotlight on individuals in the community who have in their own ways touched the lives of people around them.

According to Chun Li, chief executive officer at Lazada, the e-commerce’s ninth birthday aims also to recognize positive impacts made by every individual in their community, including sellers, brands, and customers.

“Lazada has grown into the robust e-commerce platform, thanks to the strong support and trust that our sellers, brands, customers, and partners have given us over the years. We are excited to continue setting the benchmark for the e-commerce industry, by propelling entrepreneurs and brands forward in their digital transformation journey, and serving consumers through a safe, convenient, and experiential shopping journey,” Li stated.

Meanwhile, Mary Zhou, chief marketing officer at Lazada commented, “I’m delighted for global superstars like Katy Perry and NCT Dream, as well as Southeast Asia’s biggest names, join us in this year’s celebrations dedicated in honor of individuals and communities who have stood strong and resilient in the past year. I look forward to the opportunity for Lazada to bring joy to consumers in Southeast Asia through our annual signature Lazada Super Party concert and Birthday shopping event, and that our community will remain hopeful for the future.”

Part of the star-studded lineup as well are artists Agnez Mo, Raisa and 3 Diva from Indonesia, Haqiem Rusli and Ismail Izzani from Malaysia, Mimiyuuuh and Alden Richards from the Philippines, Jasmine Sokko and Nathan Hartono from Singapore, “Bella” Ranee Campen and Da Endorphine from Thailand, as well as Ha Anh Tuan, Tran Thanh and Den from Vietnam.

In a statement, Katy Perry said, “Thank you for supporting and loving me all this time. I am excited to meet you soon at the Lazada Super Party, to hopefully spread a little light, love and joy and have everyone sing along with me, even if we are physically apart. I wish for Lazada to help all of their customers as they need, and for everyone to always look on the bright side of life.”

Other in-show events slated include Lazada’s signature Shoppertainment segments like ‘Voucher Rain’, as well as ‘Guess It!’ and ‘Shake It!’ in different countries where viewers can win vouchers and exclusive giveaways, as a prelude to Lazada’s Surprise Birthday Sale that can be utilized on 27 March.

In addition, Lazada consumers will also be able to get their hands on a new ‘Happy Cake’ game on LazGames. Users gain points by simply opening gift boxes, completing daily tasks, and stacking nine cake levels to win rewards such as platform vouchers. Furthermore, shoppers can also redeem additional shopping rewards through Lazada Bonus, a special shopping allowance that can be used platform-wide on participating products marked with the Lazada Bonus badge and is stackable with other promotions. 

Hong Kong – The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), a statutory body in Hong Kong that promotes, assists and develops the country’s trade, has once again invited Leon Lai, a Hong Kong-based actor, to act as Ambassador for the 2021 Entertainment Expo.

The HKTDC is a statutory body in Hong Kong that aims to organize international exhibitions, conferences, and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. It also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via trade publications, research reports, and digital news channels.

HK superstar Leon Lai commented, “The pandemic has created a new normal for the local film and television entertainment industry. I am proud to act as Ambassador for the expo during this particularly challenging period to continue promoting Hong Kong’s entertainment industry.”

On the other hand, the HKTDC also enlisted the support of the renowned multimedia directing duo Tsui Brothers to shoot the promotional video for this year’s expo, with the theme “Gazing to the Future”.

The 2021 Entertainment Expo will be held from March 15 to April 12, 2021, comprising six events that cover a global mix of film, TV, music, and digital entertainment. The events include the Entertainment Asia Forum, and Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), among others.

Mumbai, India – Local-based entertainment super-app ZEE5 has partnered with XroadMedia,  a cloud- and server-based content discovery and recommendations back-end solutions for  digital media, to ramp up its hyper-personalized video-on-demand (VOD)  offerings and social media services. 

Through the partnership, ZEE5 will be using XroadMedia’s content discovery platform Ncanto, which will help in creating multiple content discoveries, recommendations, and personalization use-cases for its users.

“ZEE5 has always believed in the power of great content and powerful technology coming together to offer the best experience to a viewer. We believe gone are the days of broadcast; even the current trend of viewing audiences in clusters and cohorts will soon give way to individual personalization,” stated Rajneel Kumar, business head for expansion projects and head of products at ZEE5.

He added, “We have benchmarked their solution for a few months and found adoption and click-through-rates on recommendations were significantly higher along with a substantial increase in average time spent by a user. XroadMedia’s cloud-based services have also provided us with a higher level of flexibility to serve personalization use-cases and I’m confident this partnership will heighten our seamless content viewing experience, a feat we take great pride in and work tirelessly to maintain.”

Furthermore, Ncanto will aid ZEE5 in creating dynamic personalization of VODbased on interests and watching behavior. 

“Our partnership with ZEE5 is another major milestone in the history of XroadMedia and proves the progress we have made over the past few years. We are particularly excited to work with ZEE5 as they are using our solution to its full extent – from personalizing entire screens in the user interface via creating and managing editorial services to applying our solution across multiple content types and sources. We are very pleased with this partnership, as the application of our solution shows how important personalization is to ZEE5 and I am sure together we will push the boundaries of content discovery and personalization even further in the future”, said XroadMedia Co-Founder and CEO Adolf Proidl.

Manila, Philippines – Last August, Thailand-headquartered tech company True Digital Group (TDG) launched its entertainment platform TrueID in the Philippines which offered free curated content, and since then, its content lineup has grown to include originally produced shows featuring famous Filipino vloggers and celebrities. 

During its pilot launch, the platform’s roster of shows included those licensed from leading local broadcast networks GMA and Cignal, and now, TDG in the Philippines announced that a fresh lineup is slated for users from both social media and TV personalities such as TikToker and dancer AC Bonifacio, former “housemate” in reality TV show Pinoy Big Brother and vlogger Baninay Bautista, and social media influencer and content creator Kimpoy Feliciano. 

In the past week, AC has already premiered her Style Must-Haves vlog on TrueID. AC started to grow her name in the country when she won the local TV dance competition “Dance Kids” in 2016. TDG said she is also set to premiere more videos on the platform having been signed on as a TrueID Ambassador.

Meanwhile, Baninay and Kimpoy are also slated to premiere their videos on TrueID in the coming weeks. Both personalities will be publishing their daily life vlogs on the platform giving their fans a chance to see more of them on the web.

Filipino social media personalities Baninay Bautista and Kimpoy Feliciano.

TDG said the three social media personalities are only the beginning of what’s to come on TrueID Philippines. 28 Squared Studios, a digital studio owned by another TrueID Ambassador, Philippines-based Chinese model and host Richard Juan, is set to bring in more video content from celebrities and influencers as well as originally-produced content, including a show with Miss World 2013 Megan Young, as revealed on its Instagram.

Richard Juan Megan Young
28squaredstudios’ announcement on Richard Juan and Megan Young’s show.

Other well-known Filipino personalities are expected to premiere their content on the platform soon. This includes lifestyle content creator Erwan Heussaff, actor Enrique Gil, and singer Jinho Bae.

“The vision here is that all Filipino Creators would be creating content not only for TrueID Philippines but also for TrueID Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand. That is what’s exciting about this,” said Dindo Marzan, managing director for True Digital Philippines, Inc.

Singapore – Global advertising and marketing company Omnicom Media Group (OMG) has announced the expansion of Fuse, its sport and entertainment practice, across Asia Pacific.

Headquartered in Singapore, the Fuse team will be tasked with delivering transformative marketing solutions for clients in the region across sport, e-sports, and music.

Fuse in APAC will build on the established Fuse network in the UK and across EMEA, where award-winning work has been delivered for international brands such as PepsiCo, Nissan, HSBC, Google, and Vodafone. This enables clients in both regions to benefit from the scale and specialist local expertise of a globally integrated practice.

In APAC, Fuse will be built on a new model that leverages the commercial, digital and creative capabilities of OMG’s network to help clients modernize their sponsorship strategies through better strategic guidance, smarter digital activation, cutting-edge analysis, and delivering faster and more attributable return on investment.

The service will be led by Jonathan Drakes, who played a pivotal role in growing Fuse’s international business out of the UK as its strategy director. Drakes will be based in Singapore and responsible for developing the business across the region, with a particular emphasis on maximizing opportunities in Asia. Drakes reports to Tony Harradine, CEO of Omnicom Media Group in APAC, and to Fuse’s CEO Louise Johnson.

Drakes starts the venture with founding client, beer brand Tuborg, in a move that builds on Fuse’s five-year relationship with the brand, during which time Fuse helped create and grow ‘Tuborg Open,’ the global music platform which has seen it collaborate with international artists.

Harradine said Fuse’s launch in APAC underscores OMG’s confidence in the power of sport and entertainment platforms to deliver meaningful results for clients in a dynamic marketing environment and in a uniquely challenging time.

Johnson commented, “We’re delighted to be building on the success of the Fuse brand and expanding into the Asia-Pacific region. The global sport and entertainment rights and media market is evolving at a phenomenal rate, driven by expanding fan bases and new digital media platforms. This presents fantastic opportunity across APAC and EMEA for agencies that can quickly adapt, at scale.”

In October, OMG has similarly introduced a new practice Transact in the region, its service for brands specializing in e-commerce.

Singapore – AnyMind Group, a company that produces software in direct-to-consumer, cloud manufacturing, entertainment, marketing, and HR, has announced its plans to connect its various offerings and to build a runway for future expansion.

AnyMind Group has renewed its vision, and now aims to “make every business borderless,” through removing borders and barriers for organizations whether it be geographical, online and offline, industries, platforms, and mediums.

Having launched, developed, and acquired brands across various industries such as marketing, entertainment, and direct-to-consumer, the company aims to offer end-to-end solutions from brand building, product manufacturing, and marketing.

Commenting on this development, Kosuke Sogo, CEO, and co-founder of AnyMind Group discussed the company’s plans to expand its offerings. 

“Having grown and established strong offerings across multiple spaces, we are looking to move into a position to connect our various offerings to form one of the first end-to-end brand enablement platforms. Apart from leveraging on our individual products, we’re moving towards helping businesses and individuals tap on a comprehensive solution to seamlessly turn previously-siloed data into action, in the future.”

“True to our underlying philosophy of Growth for Everyone, we can enable businesses and individuals to become borderless, from brand establishment,product creation, marketing, selling, and very soon, fulfilment.”

In addition, the company will be renaming its flagship brands in influencer marketing, and influencer management, and advertising. 

In a nutshell, said brands will now be renamed to carry the word “Any.” CastingAsia, its influencer marketing platform will now be called AnyTag. Meanwhile, its influencer management network CastingAsia Creators Network has been renamed to AnyCreator. 

The AdAsia brand on the other hand, which includes AdAsia Digital Platform, the AdAsia Premium Marketplace and AdAsia360 will be discontinued, with the AdAsia Digital Platform software being renamed to AnyDigital and its publisher platform names, AdAsia360, FourM360, and Acqua360 to be consolidated under the name AnyManager.

Sogo said, “In line with becoming an end-to-end brand enablement platform and longer-term plans to expand out of Asia, we have renamed our products to fit in with the wider AnyMind Group branding and to position ourselves for future growth through a unified branding strategy.”

Malaysia – To set up a digital footprint is easy for brands, but to build and keep a high social media engagement – that is another story. Nowadays, almost any business is only knowable through the lens of social media – from retail to food and customer service, and players in the cinema industry aren’t an exception.

In Malaysia, local cinema brand Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) is getting ahead of the engagement race on Facebook, according to data by Facebook Analytics, extracted by digital marketing agency Webqlo.

Among the three largest cinema brands in the country, GSC has the highest number of page likes with 1.8 million, followed by TGV cinemas at 760K, with MBO cinemas garnering the least number at 580K. 

In terms of the overall number of reactions to posts, GSC still retained the top spot with 2.3 million reactions, with TGV’s and MBO’s count lagging with only 320K, and 150K respectively.

Similarly, the findings showed that when each of the brand’s highest engagement posts between the period of January to September 2020 is put side by side in terms of shares, GSC still demonstrated the most promising count. 

The cinemas’ posts are often movie trailers, and GSC garnered 50,856 shares when it posted the Birds of Prey trailer. Meanwhile, TGV landed on the second spot with 13,177 shares for posting the Greenland trailer. On the other hand, MBO’s highest engagement post was that of the opening of its Tropicana Gardens location, which when compared to the two, still had the least shares with 2,093.

The highest number of comments to posts was also looked into. Quite different from the previous findings, TGV is now moved to the last spot, gaining only 1,639 comments for its giveaway post in July for the premiere of the film Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula. Meanwhile, GSC still led with 53,847 comments for its welcome back giveaway post that was published in the same month, followed by MBO for its January post on its Cuckoo water purifier giveaway, which gained only 2,059 comments.

Ultimately, findings showed which of the brands’ social media teams is the hardest at work, and although GSC rose to top with a total of 1,299 posts within the period of the findings, it was a close count with MBO which published 1,279 posts, while TGV showed with the least sum at 1,047.

According to Webqlo, compared to the two brands, GSC was the most proactive in boosting its posts, applying it for 32% of its posts which could explain the brand’s higher amount of followers and reach.

All of the Facebook pages of the three cinema brands were opened about the same time 10 years ago.