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| (Image Source: BusinessWorld Online/Newport World Resorts) |
Deemed its most authentic — and bigger than ever — celebration this year, Oktoberfest at Newport World Resorts is back for its highly anticipated second edition on October 24-26, 2024 at Hilton Manila. The country’s premier lifestyle and entertainment destination is set to welcome more than a thousand fest-goers for three days of indulgence in Bavarian fare, live entertainment, and overflowing steins. The iconic beer festival from Munich, Germany has now become one of the property’s most-awaited signature festivals, thanks to popular demand since launching last year.
“At Newport World Resorts, we take pride in creating experiences that are as authentic as they are enjoyable. This year’s Oktoberfest is no exception. We’ve gone all out to bring you the very best of Oktoberfest, right here at the country’s premier lifestyle and entertainment destination,” said Newport World Resorts Chief Marketing Officer David Jorden during the event's media launch. For this edition, bier lovers will enjoy a selection of classic Bavarian draft beers from the Weihenstephan Brewery, the world’s oldest continuously operating brewery. Serving up an even grander spread of Bavarian favorites, attendees will be treated to hefty servings of freshly baked pretzels and German rye bread with flavorful dips, Munich-style sausage salad, platters of pork bratwurst and frankfurter paired with tangy sauerkraut, crispy pork knuckle, chicken schnitzel, and cheese-topped spaetzle. To top off this Bavarian-style feast, indulge in baked apple tart and Kaiserschmarrn for dessert.
From October 24 to 26, starting every 6:00 pm, The Ballroom of Hilton Manila will be fully decked out into a traditional Bavarian beer hall with classic long benches, festive buntings, checkered tablecloths for guests to gather round. To complete the experience, world-renowned AnTon Showband, all the way from Austria, will keep everyone dancing and celebrating all night. Get first dibs on Oktoberfest tickets with an early bird promotion of Php4,900 nett per person until September 30, 2024. The regular price goes for Php5,400 nett per person starting October 1. All Oktoberfest ticket holders can avail an overnight stay at Hilton Manila with breakfast for two (2) at a special rate of Php7,500 nett per room valid during the festival. Guests can also retreat in Holiday Inn Express – Newport City’s overnight stay package inclusive of breakfast for two (2) at Php4,000 nett. Join the festivities and enjoy exclusive offers through www.newportworldresorts.com/oktoberfest-2024.
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GCash Enables Easier Fundraising For Areas Hit By Tropical Storm Enteng, Heavy Monsoon Rains
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| (Image Source: Business Diary Philippines/GCash) |
GCash, the Philippines' leading finance super app, enables an easier and more direct way for organizations to raise funds to help communities affected by severe tropical storm Enteng. Users can scan QR codes from the app’s official non-government organization (NGO) partners to extend help to communities affected by the calamity. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), a total of 547,029 individuals in 695 barangays have been affected by Enteng and the heavy rains brought about by the southwest monsoon.
“We are deeply committed to using our platform to make a positive impact, especially during times of crisis. This way, we can help strengthen the Filipino bayanihan spirit and make our kababayans feel that they are not alone in times of hardship,” said GCash Sustainability Head CJ Alegre. With the QR codes now posted on the app’s official Facebook page, Filipinos have a more streamlined and safer way of contributing to the relief efforts, ensuring that the donations are directed efficiently to those in need. Users can visit GCash’s Facebook page and locate the QR codes on this post. They can donate by scanning QR codes linked to GCash’s partner NGOs, namely the Philippine Red Cross, Ayala Foundation, ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya, GMA Kapuso Foundation, UNICEF, and Save The Children.
Prioritizing the safety and security of its users, GCash also encourages customers to donate only through official payment channels such as the GCash app and transact only with trusted organizations to avoid donating to dubious organizations. Likewise, users are advised never to share their MPIN or OTP with anyone. For personal donation drives, GCash also urges the public to conduct thorough background checks on individuals and groups before contributing to avoid becoming a victim of potential online scams and fraud. Filipinos can download the GCash app for free on Google Play or App Store. For more information on how you can help, visit the official Facebook page of GCash at www.facebook.com/gcashofficial.
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Home Credit PH, SM Appliance Center Bring Unbeatable Deals With The Great Installment Festival
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| (Image Source: Orange Magazine TV/Home Credit Philippines) |
Home Credit Philippines (HCPH), the country’s leading consumer finance company, has once again teamed up with SM Appliance Center to offer customers unbeatable deals and incredible savings on a wide selection of home appliances and gadgets through The Great Installment Festival. With this promo, customers can now upgrade their home appliances and other gadgets while keeping their budgets intact when they shop at any SM Appliance Center branch supported by Home Credit.
Until September 30, 2024, shoppers can enjoy discounts of up to 50% on select items exclusively through Home Credit. They can also take advantage of 0% interest on flexible installment plans ranging from six to 18 months. The Great Installment Festival is available on a broad range of top-quality home appliances and gadgets. This encompasses televisions to help shoppers upgrade their daily viewing experience and refrigerators and freezers to keep groceries fresh and organized. The promo also covers air conditioners to ensure comfort all day long, washing machines to simplify laundry tasks, and gas ranges and burners to make cooking easier. Additionally, it extends to Bluetooth speakers for a crystal-clear, immersive audio experience.
Shoppers can download the Home Credit Loan App for quick pre-approval of product installments or speak directly with a Home Credit sales representative at any SM Appliance Center branch. To explore the features, specifications, and deals on preferred televisions, refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, washing machines, gas ranges, burners, and Bluetooth speakers, visit the nearest SM Appliance Center in your area. Do not miss out on these unbeatable deals! Head now to the nearest SM Appliance Center to enjoy up to 50% off and 0% interest on select home appliances and gadgets. This limited-time offer is available only until September 30, 2024. Shop now and save big on upgrades!
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East Asia Super League Extends Long-Term Partnership With P.LEAGUE+
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| (Image Source: East Asia Super League/P.LEAGUE+) |
East Asia Super League (EASL) has officially extended its partnership with the professional basketball league P. LEAGUE+. This long-term and exclusive agreement will see both organizations continue their close collaboration over the coming years to further advance the development of basketball in Asia. Since their initial partnership, EASL and P. LEAGUE+ have collaborated on numerous high-profile international games, injecting new energy into the growth of Asian basketball through their ongoing exchanges. The extension of this cooperation is set to solidify their collaborative foundation and provide greater opportunities for future events and projects.
In the upcoming EASL season which begins in October, P. LEAGUE+ will be represented by the 2023-24 PLG champion New Taipei Kings and the P. LEAGUE+ runner-up Taoyuan Pauian Pilots. Commenting on the partnership of the two leagues, EASL CEO Henry Kerins said, “Our partnership with P. LEAGUE+ has been exceptionally successful. The long term and exclusive nature of this agreement will allow us to continue delivering exciting games for our fans and further advance basketball development in Asia.” P. LEAGUE+ Vice President Blackie Chen also expressed enthusiasm about the extension, saying, “We are thrilled to extend our partnership with EASL. This will provide P. LEAGUE+ with more international resources and opportunities, and allow us to continue contributing to the growth of basketball in our region and across Asia.”
The renewed agreement signals a commitment to expanding collaborative efforts in the future, aiming to create more memorable games, enhance the international influence of the leagues, and inject new vitality into the basketball scene across Asia.
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Classic American Movies To Stream Exclusively In PH Via ABS-CBN YouTube Channels
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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN Corporation) |
Viewers in the Philippines now have more options to add to their movie marathon watchlist as they can watch classic American movies licensed from Sony Pictures Entertainment’s (SPE) extensive library of critically acclaimed movies spanning a range of genres including comedy, romantic-comedy, horror, and action. These movies will stream exclusively on ABS-CBN’s YouTube channels Cinemo, iWantTFC, and ABS-CBN Entertainment starting September 15, 2024.
This latest offering from ABS-CBN, the Philippines’ premiere media and entertainment company and leading content provider, strengthens the company’s initiative to expand its digital content offerings to cater to new audiences. In a statement, ABS-CBN's head of digital Jamie Lopez quoted, "ABS-CBN is thrilled to offer Sony Pictures Entertainment’s premium selection of classic award-winning movies for our Filipino audiences to enjoy. SPE is known for their years of expertise in producing hit and timeless movies that connect with viewers all over the world. This deal marks an exciting opportunity for us to provide new content and stories that our viewers will love.” “ABS-CBN has long been recognized as a leader in the entertainment industry in the Philippines and we’re thrilled to be collaborating with them to bring our hit, classic films to Filipino audiences,” said Sony Pictures Television's Vice President of Southeast Asia Distribution Eugene Lin.
Viewers can expect new movie uploads every month featuring 80s and 90s classics such as “Sleepwalkers", “Mrs. Winterbourne", "The Freshmen" and “Fools Rush In” along with laugh-out-loud comedies including “About Last Night", “Cops And Robbersons", "Dick", “Fired Up" and “The Survivors", “Murphy’s Romance", “She’s Out of Control" and “Shampoo". Horror fans will be able to enjoy a lineup that includes “13 Ghosts", “The Evil Dead", "The Intruders", "Mortal Thoughts” and “American Woman". Additionally, thrill-seekers will clamor for films like “Armored", "Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon", “Machete", “Things Are Tough All Over" and “U-Turn". The movie lineup also includes a selection of fan-favorites featuring first-class talent such as “Cadillac Records” starring Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, and Beyoncé Knowles; “Excess Baggage” starring Alicia Silverstone; “Jane Austen Book Club” starring Emily Blunt; and “Funny Lady” starring Barbra Streisand and James Caan.
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KRAFTON Invests In Short-Form Video Platform Spoon Labs With Focus On Dramatic Content
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| (Image Source: KRAFTON Inc./Spoon Labs) |
KRAFTON Inc. is making an equity investment of 120 billion Korean Won (KRW) in Spoon Labs, a global short-form video platform that specializes in dramatic content. This is the largest investment KRAFTON has made so far in diversifying into non-gaming areas. Spoon Labs is a company that has developed a global audio platform called Spoon which is currently servicing users worldwide. Recently, it has expanded its business into the short-form video platform sector and launched a dedicated platform hosting short films named Vigloo. Vigloo is an online video service that specializes in short-form dramatic content. Like other online video platforms that allow users to share their own creations, Vigloo offers content curation tailored to the preferences of various countries and supports seven languages including Korean, English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Thai and Indonesian.
KRAFTON highly valued Spoon Labs’ stable platform technology and successful global service experience. Also, the decision to invest was driven by the growth potential of the short-form video drama market, the opportunity to secure new sources of intellectual property (IP), and the synergy with existing businesses. Currently, the short-form video drama market is experiencing rapid growth in major countries by region, including the U.S. and Japan, led by the 7 trillion KRW Chinese market. Based on this growth, KRAFTON predicts that the Korean content that Vigloo will introduce in the future has the potential to extend the Hallyu (Korean Wave) from the traditional drama market to the short-form video drama market. KRAFTON CEO CH Kim said, “Spoon Labs has already proven its strong overseas business capabilities through Spoon over the past few years. We look forward to creating entertainment that people worldwide can enjoy together and establishing a robust industry ecosystem within the new short-form drama platform business.”
Spoon Labs CEO Hyukjae Choi said, “We have been strengthening our position as a global content platform company by expanding our business from audio to video. We plan to enter the U.S. and Japanese markets soon, and together with KRAFTON, we will establish a new international standard in the short-form drama sector.” Meanwhile, Spoon Labs has collaborated with numerous production companies to release 60 exclusive pieces of content on Vigloo so far, with plans to release a total of 120 by the end of the year. Beginning this month, the company will begin releasing original Japanese content and ramp up marketing activities targeting Japan and the U.S.
