Tag: TikTok

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Following its partnership with short video platform TikTok to bring esports to a larger audience, esports entertainment platform FIGHT Esports has announced the launch of its regional FIGHT Campus League to establish a strong gaming community among colleges and universities. 

The tournament meets the demand of the current esports community as the pandemic hit students were forced indoors, resulting in the increase of gaming hours and time spent consuming content online.

Cheah Sheau Mei, user and content operations manager for TikTok Malaysia commented that their partnership with FIGHT Esports works well, considering the fact that their platform features a short-form format and unique content that is suitable for gamers to showcase their unique stories, connect with other gamers, and celebrate modern gaming culture.

“As the gaming community continues to grow on TikTok, we look forward to collaborating closely with like-minded organizations like FIGHT Esports to fuel the passions and originality of more gamers on our platform.” Mei stated.

Meanwhile, Ariff Abu, team lead at FIGHT Esports Malaysia, commented, “We’ve been looking into regional, multi-title tournaments for some time after organizing community level tournaments in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines for the past year and getting feedback from students asking for a dedicated tournament of their own.”

He added, “The FIGHT Campus League will pave a way for students to compete in selected top titles and demonstrate many different skill levels across several demographics.”

The regional tournaments will kick off in Malaysia with a PUBG Mobile tournament, and qualifiers will take place from 5 May to 11 June, ultimately leading to the grand finals on June 15 and 16. The streams will be also streamed on FIGHT Esports’ Facebook page and on Astro’s eGG Network, a Malaysia-based pay television network.

Included in the new slew of regional tournaments of FIGHT Esports is its Philippines’ equivalent, FIGHT Campus League Philippines’ Call of Duty: Mobile tournament. It will begin on 7 May to June 18 with a prize pool of PHP190M (RM16,172) as well as with its Indonesian counterpart FIGHT Campus Legend Indonesia which will be looking for the top Mobile Legends: Bang Bang teams from June to October with a prize pool of IDR50M (RM14,158).

Sydney, Australia – A big part of TikTok videos becoming viral are the music that creators use and choose to play their entertainment reels, with old songs being given a second life while up and coming ones getting their well-deserved listen. TikTok, particularly in Australia, has taken attention to this trend, and has therefore decided to release its own digital radio station. 

The short-video platform has partnered with global radio platform iHeartRadio for an exclusive Australian digital radio station catered to take popular TikTok songs to the airwaves.

Called ‘TikTok Trending’, the digital radio station will broadcast popular TikTok songs 24/7 in a span of three months. In addition to that, popular tracks from well-known artists like Dua Lipa and Cardi B, revived old tracks like Fleetwood Mac, as well as promoting local artists that have become overnight viral sensations will be promoted on the station.

“For us, this radio station is a testament to TikTok’s growing credentials in the music industry and the influence the platform has in propelling talent and tracks from the platform and into the mainstream music scene. We’d love you to tune in,” TikTok said in a press statement.

‘TikTok Trending’ will be hosted by four personalities, namely Australian singer-songwriter Georgia Flipo commonly known as G Flip, indigenous Australian artist Isaiah Firebrace, YouTube comedy star Tannar Eacott, and musical artist Avneesha.

The show will welcome a line-up of guest hosts, including popular creators, local artists, and international stars, which will be graced first by British singer-songwriter Rita Ora.

“Connecting with my Australian fans on TikTok has been incredible. Their creativity is so inspiring and being able to engage with them on the platform has been amazing, which is why I am beyond excited to take on this guest hosting gig with iHeartRadio. I’ll be sharing the top TikTok tracks with you, talking about my favorite songs, and even sharing some insider info with you on the trending songs we all love,” Rita Ora said.

Meanwhile, Brett ‘Nozz’ Nossiter, content director at iHeartRadio, commented, “We share the TikTok community’s passion for exploring, creating and enjoying a diverse array of music, and we’re so excited to be able to support emerging and established musicians who have enjoyed success on TikTok, and amplify their music to an even bigger audience of fans.”

According to Ollie Wards, director of music at TikTok ANZ, this new partnership reflects how the platform is making its mark on the music industry – with artists today turning to the platform to launch new music, resurface classic tracks and connect with fans across the globe. 

“Emerging acts, still in the ‘bedroom’ stage, love TikTok because they’re able to reach new audiences, build a following and achieve success on their own terms, off the back of raw talent, creativity and charisma. Established artists have also been tapping into TikTok, particularly at a time when shows and live music are off the cards in most parts of the world,” Wards stated.

Singapore – Short video platform TikTok and media marketing solutions IPG Mediabrands have announced a new partnership to aid brands in connecting with culture through exclusive creator programs.

The partnership will initially co-create a series of custom programs for IPG Mediabrands’ clients, helping them build an authentic presence on TikTok by tapping into the platform’s community of creators. 

In addition, the two companies will form a bespoke Creator Collective, bringing together a select group of forward-thinking and diverse creators who will provide hands-on guidance to IPG Mediabrands’ clients ensuring that their content is culturally connected, inclusive, and resonates with the TikTok community. 

‘Creator Camps,’ a quarterly session where creators will provide IPG Mediabrands clients strategic counsel and feedback on their upcoming campaigns, will be the first program of the series. 

“As the most improved platform from a media responsibility perspective based on our latest Media Responsibility Index, TikTok has earned this partnership through backing its words with action and integrity,” said Daryl Lee, global CEO at IPG Mediabrands.

TikTok and IPG Mediabrands have also committed to identifying new ways to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion on and off the platform. The two companies will collaborate to develop innovative, creative strategies to benefit nonprofit organizations and elevate underrepresented communities on the platform; and TikTok was a recent participant in the Equity Upfront, hosted by IPG Mediabrands’ MAGNA, the centralized company resource that develops intelligence, investment and innovation strategies for agency teams and clients.

Dani Benowitz, president of MAGNA commented, “As audience reach declines in traditional formats, it is critical that client budgets fund new ways to connect with audiences. This partnership will deliver incredible value to our clients and, as importantly, will help all of us learn the power of creating content communities at scale.”

For Blake Chandlee, president of global business solutions at TikTok, the partnership speaks for the company’s vision for brands that have the unique ability to become creators and storytellers by listening to the community and adopting an always-on approach to their content.

“We’re delighted to partner with IPG Mediabrands and help their clients tap into trends, create a steady stream of content that resonates with our community, and embrace the creativity and culture that makes TikTok such an incredible platform,” Chandlee stated.

Singapore – TikTok in Singapore has launched its first-ever #JobTok educational live stream series, a lineup of shows that aims to equip youth aspiring for tech careers with knowledge of the jobs and skillsets of the future in the industry and to help them to make more informed career decisions in life.

The educational series will run from 31 March until 6 April 2021 and will be a hybrid broadcast, where one will be streamed on TikTok Live itself and on Facebook, and the other on Zoom.

TikTok invited home-grown tech talents from TikTok itself and Government Technology Agency (GovTech) to lead the live stream and talk about inspiring experiences working in the tech sector, and debunk commonly-held myths about the profession. Invited hosts will also be sharing actionable steps that undergraduates can take to transition smoothly into a technology-first workforce.

The first in the educational series is ‘Women Leadership in Tech’, which is a virtual grassroots dialogue session, to be hosted by Member of Parliament (MP) Tin Pei Ling, alongside female leaders from ByteDance Singapore, who will discuss how women can be empowered to thrive in the tech and innovation sectors, as well as the exciting job opportunities and career prospects that Singaporeans can capture in the rapidly-growing post-COVID-19 digital economy.

The educational series also includes ‘Adulting Advice From Young GovTechies’, which will be on 31 March at 8:00 pm SGT, and ‘The Faces Behind TikTok LIVE’, which will be on 6 April at 8:00 pm SGT.

The virtual dialogue with MP Tin will be streamed on Zoom and MP Tin’s Facebook Page on 31 March 2021, at 7:30 pm SGT. The rest of the #JobTok educational series will be broadcasted live on the TikTok app beginning on 31 March to 6 April 2021.

In addition to the series itself, TikTok will also be launching an #Adulting contest, which invites users to share their personal tips for youth entering the workforce, including interview tips, internship experiences, and how to ink their first job. The contest will run from 31 March until 4 April where participants will get a chance to win prizes collectively worth around S$1,200.

According to Joana Mikaela Liew, the head of talent development for ByteDance APAC and META, as the country emerged stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to dispel uncertainty among today’s job-seekers and equip them with the relevant skills to be future-ready. 

“Our Jobs and Skills series aims to provide an insider’s look into the tech industry and spark greater interest among more young Singaporeans towards the new opportunities brought about by the digital economy. Additionally, through our meaningful dialogue with MP Tin Pei Ling, we hope to bring this conversation closer to the grassroots and address on-the-ground concerns of those who are either looking for job opportunities in the tech space or planning to upskill,” added Liew.

Singapore – Video-sharing app TikTok has appointed Sameer Singh, former chief executive officer of media investment company GroupM in South Asia (SA), as its new head of global business solutions for the platform’s ‘TikTok for Business’ Southeast Asia (SEA) team.

The ‘TikTok For Business’ arm was introduced in July 2020 which aims to empower businesses of all sizes to engage with their target customers in a unique and creative way while creating a positive and safe environment for brand partners.

The new appointment will see Singh leading the sales and business marketing solutions for ‘TikTok for Business’ products across SEA. He brings with him over 25 years of experience in innovative marketing and advertising solutions, working as a key employee for brands like Google, and healthcare giant GSK, as well as consumer goods company Procter & Gamble, and advertising agency IPG. Singh has also worked in various locations across the globe, including Boston, London, and Dubai, as well as Guangzhou, among others.

“TikTok has supported tens of thousands of enterprises and partners, especially small and medium businesses, to elevate their marketing and advertising efforts and grow their business with our extensive product suite,” said Singh. 

“Southeast Asia is a fast-growing region with boundless potential, especially in the short-form content space, and the Southeast Asian markets continue to be a priority for us as we expand and innovate our TikTok for Business offerings to suit the diverse needs of this region,” added Singh.

Meanwhile, Blake Chandlee, the president of TikTok’s Global Business Solutions, said that Singh’s role comes at a dynamic time as TikTok introduces new and creative ways for brands of all sizes to reach success on TikTok. 

“Singh has been indispensable in driving TikTok’s advertising efforts thus far. We’re absolutely delighted to welcome him to this new role and look forward to seeing how he will propel the team to new heights as Head of Global Business Solutions in Southeast Asia,” said Chandlee.

Singapore – Short-video platform TikTok has announced two new features that promote ‘kindness’ online and to create a safe and supportive environment in the platform.

The first feature allows TikTok users to filter out comments by deciding which only appears in their public posts. With the new ‘Filter All’ feature enabled, comments aren’t displayed unless the video’s creator approves them using the new comment management tool.

Said feature was built under the premise of an existing collection of comment controls that allow people to filter spam and offensive comments, and specific keywords.

Meanwhile, the second feature is a new comment prompt, which asks people to reconsider posting a comment that may be inappropriate or unkind. It also reminds users about TikTok’s community guidelines and allows them to edit their comments before sharing.

“Creating a safe and positive app environment that allows creative expression to thrive is our priority. We’ll continue to strengthen our safeguards for users, build tools that provide people with more control to shape their experience, and keep listening to feedback from our community and experts,” said Jamin Tan, head of regional product policy, trust, and safety at TikTok APAC.

With the TikTok community growing in number, the company has aimed to launch these new features as a way to focus on what matters to online creators: being creative, finding community, and having fun.

“Part of this fun is engaging with content, sharing ideas, and connecting through comments. Our goal is to promote a positive environment where people support and lift each other up,” the company said in a press statement.

Manila, Philippines – Video-sharing app TikTok has recently launched a new fact-checking prompt for users’ content, and the feature is now available for Filipino users. 

The platform announced the new feature in February in an aim to counter inauthentic, misleading, or false content shared by users, which was first rolled out in Canada and the US, and to be integrated into TikTok platforms globally over the coming weeks. 

TikTok will now be checking if a certain content shared by a user is factual, and will be delivering necessary prompts and implementing appropriate actions to notify users accordingly. 

When a video has been reviewed but that its content cannot be conclusively validated, a prompt in form of a banner will appear in the video. If a viewer attempts to share the flagged video, they will see a prompt reminding them that the video has been flagged as unverified content.

Meanwhile, if it is finalized to be false content, the video will outrightly be removed from the platform. In the event that content is not able to be confirmed by the fact checks, the video will be ineligible for recommendation into the app users’ ‘For You’ feed, helping limit the spread of potentially misleading information. 

The platform said that the additional step requires for people to pause and consider their next move before choosing to ‘cancel’ or ‘share anyway,’ which is exactly what TikTok aims to do, to help users “be mindful about what they share.”

For the new feature, TikTok has partnered with fact-checkers at PolitiFact, Lead Stories, and SciVerify to help assess the accuracy of contents. It also shared that the feature has been initially tested with Irrational Labs, a behavioral science lab.

TikTok has previously launched a series of educational videos called ‘Be Informed’ which was created in partnership with the National Association of Media Literacy Education. TikTok said the new fact-checking feature is part of its ongoing work to advance media literacy.

Singapore – In celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD), TikTok in Singapore has announced that it will be hosting a series of exclusive live stream sessions, featuring an all-women lineup of inspiring entrepreneurs of homegrown brands in the country.

The event, which will uncover different stories of female entrepreneurs and business owners, aims to showcase “women’s voices, strength, and creativity.” The event will be streamed live on the TikTok app from 4 to 10 March 2021.

There will be a total of six speakers. Among the hosts will be Felicia, the founder of Oyo Beauty, who will share her philosophy behind creating handmade beauty products. Founder of Whoaa!, Apphia, will also join the live stream series to talk about the journey of her brand’s humble beginnings. Meanwhile, musician-actor-filmmaker Annette will also be gracing the event to show viewers the ropes of telling tales through music, film and even comedy. Felicia’s will be on 6 March at 8:00 p.m., Apphia’s on 7 March at 8:00 p.m, while Annette’s live stream will be on 10 March at 9:00 p.m, all in Singapore Time. 

TikTok believes that the app has been a great platform for women around the world to entertain, inspire, educate, motivate, and use their voices for change. With initiatives like #WhenWomenWin, the app encourages the community to empower more women “to own their voice, rise up and make positive steps” towards achieving gender equality.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Global esports organizer Forest Interactive Gaming Habitat Team (FIGHT) and video-sharing app TikTok have partnered to launch TikTok Gaming Ground PH (TikTok GGPH), an esports dedicated account, within the platform. This marks the start of a year-long partnership between TikTok Southeast Asia and FIGHT Esports, which is kicking off with TikTok Philippines.

Through TikTok Gaming Ground PH, the community of Filipino gamers on TikTok can expect a line of live gaming events and tournaments hosted by the official TikTok GGPH account, as well as even more gaming content, shared and compiled by the TikTok PH Gaming Community.

Gaming Operations Manager of TikTok PH, John Castro, commented that the app continues to pursue opportunities to inspire creativity and bring joy to all Filipinos.

“With gaming actively becoming a positive source for community building and enjoyment, we are happy to be doing our part in providing the growing gaming community with a platform for education, positive connections, and interaction,” said Castro.

To inaugurate their partnership, TikTok Philippines and FIGHT Esports are jointly hosting the first-ever #TikTokGGPH Creator Cup Tournament, which will be set within Valorant, a popular first-person shooter game developed by Riot Games. The Creator Cup Tournament will take place on 27- 28 February from 3 pm to 9 pm PST, to be live-streamed on TikTok via @tiktokggphofficial. To raise the stakes, TikTok Philippines is offering a $1,000 prize pool to be awarded to the champion, 1st runner up, and 2nd runner up of the tournament.

FIGHT is the esports arm of mobile platform Forest Interactives, which focuses on tournaments, showcases, and seminars that will help the gaming community. It has already hosted over 80 tournaments in seven countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Taiwan.

FIGHT’s Project Manager Chantal-Denise Ortega said that TikTok is fast becoming a place where people create, share, and enjoy a new type of experience. It really makes a lot of sense for them to leverage the digital entertainment platform to reach the gaming community and give them the opportunity to connect and share their passion with fellow gamers around the world.

“This will create a unique and innovative esports experience where they can follow and engage with their favorite gaming content creators, tune in to esports tournament live streams, as well as celebrate esports in ways that have never been done before,” Ortega added.

The TikTok app is also holding a video campaign for the official #TikTokGGPH launch, starting from 12 to 28 of February. Users may upload videos that capture their gaming style and must use the hashtag #TikTokGGPH. At the end of the campaign period, 20 creators will be selected to become part of TikTok’s community of gamers, based on the level of passion for gaming and creative potential seen in their videos.

Singapore – Pomelo, an omnichannel fashion platform in Southeast Asia, has launched its latest collection, an exclusive 13-piece wardrobe line created in collaboration with video-sharing app Tiktok.

Through the collection, which officially dropped Wednesday, Pomelo and TikTok aim to empower Gen Zs and Millennials to boldly express themselves and embrace their own styles.

The collection features a striking and fun assortment of streetwear-inspired separates emblazoned with TikTok’s distinctive logo, including printed mesh tops, and pieces splashed with the brand’s signature colors of red, light aqua, and white. It also includes accessories, such as tinted shades and mini crossbody bags.

Pomelo x TikTok collaboration

Alongside the collection release, Pomelo will also be introducing a TikTok challenge for all fashion enthusiasts called #BeBoldBeYou. Starting from 24 February to 5 March, Pomelo fans and TikTok creators can take part in the challenge by styling their favorite looks, showcasing their own unique fashion style, “whether bold, expressive, or confident.” The most creative entries will get a chance to win the full collection and win prizes worth up to US$300.

Pomelo x TikTok Collection will be exclusively available on Pomelofashion.com, the Pomelo App, and in stores in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia.