NEWS
NBA, Rakuten partner to bring Warriors, Wizards to Japan for 2 pre-season NBA games in 2022
March 15, 2022 3:13 p.m.
TOKYO AND NEW YORK — The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Rakuten Group, Inc. today announced that the Golden State Warriors and the Washington Wizards will play two preseason games in Japan in 2022.
The NBA Japan Games 2022 Presented by Rakuten will take place Friday, Sept. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 2 at Saitama Super Arena and will mark the league’s 15th and 16th games in the country.
The announcement was made today at a press conference in Tokyo by Rakuten Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NBA Asia Managing Director Scott Levy. Silver and Levy participated via live video conference.
Tickets for the games will go on sale at a later date. Fans can register their interest in tickets and gain access to presale information here.
The six-time NBA champion Warriors currently feature two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry, five-time NBA All-Star Klay Thompson, and 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and four-time NBA All-Star Draymond Green. The Wizards currently feature three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal, 2018 NBA All-Star Kristaps Porziņģis and 2020 NBA All-Rookie Second Team member Rui Hachimura, who in 2019 became the first Japanese player in league history to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. The Warriors and Wizards will both be making their first visits to Japan.
The NBA Japan Games 2022 Presented by Rakuten will livestream in Japan on the NBA Rakuten service and will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories on television, digital media and social media. The games will also be supported by a roster of marketing and merchandising partners. Leading up to the games, the league and its partners will also conduct interactive fan activities, Jr. NBA programming and NBA Cares community outreach initiatives.
Between 1990 and 2003, the NBA staged 12 regular-season games in Japan in Saitama City, Tokyo and Yokohama. The matchup between the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz in Tokyo on Nov. 2, 1990 marked the first regular-season game played outside of North America by a U.S. sports league. The NBA last played games in Japan in 2019, when Rakuten and the NBA partnered to bring the Houston Rockets and the 2019 NBA Champion Toronto Raptors to the country for two preseason games.
In 2017, the NBA and Rakuten announced a groundbreaking partnership that made Rakuten a global marketing partner of the NBA and the league’s exclusive live-game distribution partner in Japan. NBA Rakuten, the one-stop destination for fans in Japan to watch NBA games and programming, currently offers viewers exclusive access to the 2021-22 NBA season. Additionally, Rakuten operates the NBA Zone on Rakuten Ichiba, Japan’s leading e-commerce platform, which features select NBA and team merchandise. Rakuten is also an official partner of the Golden State Warriors, a relationship that began in 2017 when the Warriors welcomed Rakuten as the team’s first-ever jersey partner.
The NBA’s presence in Japan dates back more than 30 years. NBA games and programming have aired in Japan since the 1988-89 season, and officially licensed NBA merchandise is widely available at more than 700 retail stores across the country and through NBAStore.jp, the official online NBA store in Japan. In addition to live games, the league has conducted a number of events in Japan, including interactive fan events, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives, and in 2012 and 2019, Basketball Without Borders, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program.
Executive Quotes:
Rakuten Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani:
“For nearly five years, our partnership with the NBA has united fans across Japan and contributed to the further growth of the global basketball community. Rakuten firmly believes in the power of sport to bring people and communities together, which is so essential in today’s global society. We are thrilled with this great opportunity to bring NBA games back to Japan, this time with the Golden State Warriors, our official partners, and the Washington Wizards.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver:
“We are excited to once again bring preseason games to our fans in Japan. There is great momentum around NBA basketball in the country and we thank Mickey and Rakuten for their continued efforts to further grow the sport.”
NBA Asia Managing Director Scott Levy:
“Since 2017, Rakuten has brought the excitement of the NBA directly to fans in Japan through a variety of unique experiences, including as the league’s exclusive distribution partner. Through this latest chapter in our longstanding partnership, the NBA and Rakuten will offer Japanese fans the opportunity to witness a thrilling matchup between the Warriors and the Wizards in an event that promises to be a singular moment for Japanese basketball.”
Golden State Warriors CEO & Co-Executive Chairman Joe Lacob:
“We are extremely appreciative that the NBA has selected the Warriors and the Wizards, two franchises with illustrious histories in our league, to tip off the 2022 NBA preseason in Japan, home of some of the most incredibly passionate NBA fans in the world. During our four-plus year partnership with Rakuten, we’ve had the pleasure of building many impactful relationships throughout Japan, and some of our players, including Stephen Curry, have thoroughly enjoyed recent visits to Tokyo and the interactions they’ve shared with basketball fans who love the game. This unique bond with both our partners and our fans will continue to strengthen during the Japan Games, and we couldn’t be more excited and honored to experience the incredible Japanese culture as a group. This game truly unites all of us across the globe.”
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Founder & CEO Ted Leonsis:
“We are so honored to represent the NBA and the wonderful game of basketball in front of an audience of Japanese fans. We are particularly excited to watch Rui Hachimura play in front of his fellow Japanese citizens. We were proud to welcome him into the DC Family nearly three years ago as a dynamic young talent and have only seen his growth as a player since. And our fans across our home market in Washington D.C. have a special connection to the Japanese people – marked by our annual celebration of the gift of cherry trees given to our city by the Mayor of Tokyo over 100 years ago. Celebrating American and Japanese cultures further strengthens our bonds and so we look forward to taking on the Golden State Warriors and growing new fans of the sport we all love.”
NEWS
TikTok enhances safety, transparency for Filipino community with new initiatives
7:01 p.m. July 16, 2023
TikTok, the world’s leading short-form video platform, is taking further steps to ensure a safer and more transparent platform for its Filipino community. In response to the evolving digital landscape and the rise of AI-generated content (AIGC), these initiatives are designed to maintain a secure environment, uphold community guidelines, and ensure users can trust the content they encounter on the platform.
Strengthening Community Guidelines Enforcement
As part of its ongoing efforts to safeguard its community, TikTok recently published its Q1 2024 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report. During this period from January 1 to March 31, 2024, TikTok removed 4.26 million videos in the Philippines for violations of its Community Guidelines. Of these, 99.7% were removed proactively, and 95% were taken down within 24 hours.
To further enhance transparency, TikTok updated its Community Guidelines in April to provide clearer rules and introduce new features that help creators understand and comply with policies. Available in English and Filipino, these guidelines include detailed definitions and outline moderation practices for features like Search, LIVE, and the For You feed, ensuring policies are clear and accessible to all users.
Advancing AI-Generated Content Transparency
In response to the increasing prevalence of AI-generated content, TikTok has implemented new measures for transparency. Since May, TikTok has automatically labeled AI-generated content uploaded from specific platforms. This initiative is part of a collaboration with MediaWise, a program of the Poynter Institute, and the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), making TikTok the first video-sharing platform to adopt C2PA’s Content Credentials technology. These labels aim to provide users with clear context about the nature of the content they consume.
Educating the Community with Media Literacy Tools
To support its community in navigating AI-generated content and combating misinformation, TikTok is launching new media literacy resources. Developed in collaboration with experts, these resources are integral to TikTok’s broader strategy to enhance user understanding and foster a more informed community. As part of this initiative, TikTok has partnered with MediaWise to release 12 educational videos throughout the year. These videos aim to teach universal media literacy skills and explain how TikTok’s AI-generated content labels can help contextualize content. This partnership underscores TikTok’s commitment to educating its community and fostering a more informed user base.
Expanding AIGC Labeling Through Partnerships
Building on its efforts to ensure content transparency, TikTok has extended its auto-labeling capabilities for AI-generated content created on other platforms. By integrating the ability to read Content Credentials from C2PA, TikTok automatically recognizes and labels AI-generated content, with plans to expand this to audio-only content soon.
In the coming months, TikTok plans to attach Content Credentials to its content, ensuring transparency even when content is downloaded, allowing users to utilize C2PA’s Verify tool to identify AI-generated content and understand its creation details.
Driving Industry-Wide Adoption
In its mission to promote industry-wide adoption of Content Credentials, TikTok has joined the Adobe-led Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI). As the first video-sharing platform to implement Content Credentials, TikTok is at the forefront of encouraging transparent content practices across the industry. The gradual increase in auto-labeled AI-generated content on TikTok is expected to grow as more platforms adopt this technology, fostering a more transparent digital landscape.
For You Feed and Creator Code of Conduct
To further enhance safety, TikTok has introduced new standards that will temporarily restrict accounts that repeatedly violate content standards. These accounts and their content will be harder to find in search, with creators being notified and given the option to appeal.
Additionally, TikTok published a Creator Code of Conduct outlining the standards expected from creators involved in TikTok programs, features, events, and campaigns. This code reinforces TikTok’s commitment to maintaining a safe and inclusive platform.
Through these measures, TikTok continues to focus on helping its community, especially creators, understand its rules and enforcement methods to ensure a safer experience for its users. By embracing continuous innovation and collaboration, TikTok strives to create a secure and inclusive space for creativity and connection.
NEWS
SM Prime, DTI empower MSMEs with 83 SM mall spaces, training, mentorship
9:15 p.m. July 12, 2024
Good news for Micro-, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs)! SM Prime Holdings (SM Prime) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) solidified a partnership through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing ceremony held on July 1 at the SM Prime Headquarters.
This collaboration empowers MSMEs with prime mall space in 83 SM Malls nationwide, aligning with the One Town, One Product (OTOP) Philippines program. Besides providing space, SM Prime offers MSMEs discounted booth rentals, training programs on product development, marketing, financial management, and mentorship opportunities with experienced business leaders.
NEWS
DTI National Food Fair celebrates local flavors at SM Megamall
8:26 p.m. July 11, 2024
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) successfully concluded the 10th National Food Fair at SM Megamall’s Megatrade Halls 1-3, held from July 3-7, 2024. This premier event showcased the rich flavors of the Philippines and empowered over 200 Micro-, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs).
Food enthusiasts enjoyed a bounty of fresh produce, regional specialties, and delectable treats from all corners of the country. Attendees had the opportunity to stock up on pantry staples, explore health-conscious options, and discover unique ingredients to elevate their cooking skills.
(L-R): Megatrade Hall’s Maite Quiogue, SM Supermalls’ Assistant Vice President for Operations Royston Cabunag, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary for Micro-, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSME) Development Group Cristina Roque, Guest of Honor Winnie Chua-Go, SM Megamall Assistant Vice President for Operations Christian Mathay, SM Supermalls’ Vice President for Corporate Marketing Grace Magno, DTI-Bureau of Market Development, Promotions, and One Town, One Product (OTOP) Philippines Director Marievic Bonoan, and SM Megamall Assistant Mall Manager Isabella Manjon
(L-R): Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary for Micro-, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSME) Development Group Cristina Roque, Guest of Honor Winnie Chua-Go, and DTI-Bureau of Market Development, Promotions, and One Town, One Product (OTOP) Philippines Director Marievic Bonoan
The 2024 Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Bagong Pilipinas National Food Fair brings together the best food and flavors from all 16 regions.
Fresh pomelos and other local fruits take center stage at the National Food Fair in Megatrade Hall.
A potential buyer gets ready to take home bottled Bicol Express and Laing at the 10th National Food Fair in SM Megamall.
Crispy, salty, and packed with nutrients —these water spinach chips are the perfect healthy snack.
Bottled honey and baked fruit crisps, all made with local ingredients.
Davao del Sur and Misamis Oriental’s chocolate products are crafted from premium cacao beans.
Quality golden salted eggs from Rizal.
A variety of coconut products from San Pablo, Laguna.
TECHSHAKE announces strategic business alliance with Mirai Works
Exclusive for Smart Subscribers: Unlock Lionsgate Play for free starting July 18
TikTok enhances safety, transparency for Filipino community with new initiatives
