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August, 2008 EA and X-Play partner to launch NBA STREET Online in the Philippines [Manila, 27 August 2008] -- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), the world’s leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software, and I-Play Online Games Incorporated (X-Play) a joint venture of online gaming publisher IP E-Game Ventures Inc. (IP E-Games) announce today that X-Play has secured an exclusive license in the Philippines for the operation of the highly anticipated EA SPORTS™ title - NBA STREET Online. NBA STREET Online is a real-time online mid-session game (MSG) of EA`s phenomenally popular NBA franchise games series, featuring fast-paced street basketball action with today`s biggest NBA superstars, all in true-to-life detail. Under the licence from EA, X-Play will provide marketing, community management, customer and technical support, and other valuable services as the operator of NBA STREET Online in the Philippines. “This is a collaboration amongst giants to bring a monumental title to the Philippines. EA, as the top game developer worldwide, and X-Play, the joint venture between IPVG and GMA7, will launch the one of the biggest mid-session gaming titles to ever hit the country. With our large gaming base and mass media vehicles, this killer content will transform the industry,” said Enrique Y. Gonzalez, CEO of IPVG Corp. “NBA STREET Online brings to the market the online version of a very popular sport enjoyed by millions of Filipino basketball enthusiasts. “Who wouldn’t want to be a Kobe, Lebron, or Melo? And who wouldn’t want to pit his basketball skills against the next guy—never mind that it’s virtual. It’s exciting enough that it is EA SPORTS, more so that it’s NBA. Having already the top casual games in the dance and music genre under its belt, I have no doubt that X-Play will take gaming on to the next level with NBA STREET Online,” remarked Judd Gallares, President and COO of GMA-NMI. “We are very thrilled and excited to have Philippines on our roadmap for NBA STREET Online. Strategic partnership is the key to success for EA and we are happy to work with one of the best players in the industry to bring this successful franchise to all our Pinoy gamers and basketball fans,” said Jon Niermann, President of EA Asia Pacific. “NBA STREET Online will allow Filipinos to immerse themselves in the phenomenal basketball franchise and experience what millions of other game players worldwide are enjoying,” Mark Fischer, SVP for NBA-North Asia said. NBA STREET Online larger-than-life gameplay to the playground and allows up to six gamers to simultaneously compete in an over-the-top 3-on-3 online experience. A star-studded line-up of 120 NBA players perform hyper-real tricks and gravity defying dunks that make basketball fun for everyone. NBA STREET Online blends customization, convenience, and community in a fun to play mid-session game. It features unique online elements that are designed specifically for the multiplayer experience these include matchmaking and individual player customization. For further information on NBA STREET Online, visit http://info.ea.com 
By Alexander Villafania MAKATI CITY -- Filipino fans of Electronic Arts (EA) NBA game franchise may have to wait until the end of the year or even early 2009 to play NBA Street Online game, executives said. EA Asia executives confirmed that the game is currently in beta testing in South Korea, where EA`s co-developer, Neowiz, is located. EA Asia Vice President and General Manager Christopher Thompson told reporters that the Philippines will be one of the only four Asian countries that will do beta testing of NBA Street Online. The other countries are Korea, Taiwan and China, where basketball has good following. The game will be published in the Philippines by iPlay, a joint venture between IP e-Games and GMA-New Media Inc. Thompson said Asia`s online gaming business has been growing steadily creating a viable opportunity for the EA to expand its market reach. The NBA game franchise is perhaps the most significant sports-related video game in the Philippines. EA Sports` NBA Live series -- and incidentally, the NBA 2K series from rival Sega, are the most played console-based basketball games. Many of EA`s sports games also feature in-game advertisements.IPVG CEO Enrique Gonzalez said these would be one of the approaches for NBA Street Online, though their main marketing focus could come from other online and offline schemes. NBA Street Online is based on the NBA Street Homecourt game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. It can be played with up to three online players. Instead of simulating real-world basketball moves, the game emphasizes heavily on tricky ball handling and acrobatic shooting techniques. Players can create their own fully customizable avatars but it is planned that players can also play as or against game versions of NBA basketball stars. The game will also have support for console-style controllers, instead of mere keyboard configuration. Despite having various graphical innovations, NBA Street Online will only require a minimum Pentium 3 processor, 512 megabytes memory and about 128 MB video card.
by Paolo Luis G. Montecillo LOCAL internet video game distributor IP E-Games has partnered with a unit of GMA Network Inc., for a new online gaming brand, X-Play, to capitalize on a potential 18-million-strong local online gaming market. In a briefing late Wednesday, officials of IP E-Games and GMA New Media, Inc. announced the 50-50 partnership and launched X-Play’s flagship game NBA Street Online. Enrique Y. Gonzales, chief executive officer of IP E-games parent company IPVG Corp., said the new brand would try to bring online gaming to the mainstream market. He said the brand’s string of casual online computer games — games playable in one sitting as opposed to the more complex and time-consuming massively multiplayer online role-playing games — would target not just the five million local online gamers, but also 18 million Filipino Internet users. Mr. Gonzales declined to say how much the company had invested in the game. He also did not say how much the company expects to earn from the venture. Christopher Thompson, Asia general manager of video game company Electronic Arts (EA), the company that designed and sold the game rights to X-Play, said the worldwide video game market would grow into a $50-billion industry in two years, from around $30 billion last year. "Most of this growth would come from online gaming," he said, adding that much of the growth would be in Asian countries China, Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines. He said China and South Korea’s online gaming industry is worth $2 billion each, while Taiwan’s is estimated to be worth half a billion dollars. Online gaming in the rest of Southeast Asia is said to be worth $500 million. Local industry insiders have said the local gaming industry may be worth as much as $1 billion to date. Mr. Enriquez said the partnership between the TV network and IPVG would widen the reach of the game to appeal not just to avid gamers but to normal audiences as well. "We want to make gamers [to become] rock stars in their own right, like in China and Korea," Mr. Gonzales said. He noted that under the partnership, the network might televise game tournaments and aggressively market it. Gil Edeza, IP E-games chief operating officer, said the new game would be an "easy sell," especially to Filipinos who are staunch basketball fans. "NBA is basketball." Mr. Edeza hinted of other games to be launched, but refused to disclose details. Meanwhile, despite NBA Street’s early launch, it will only be available to the public towards the end of the year or early 2009, officials said. The game will be played under the so-called free-to-play model, where gamers may download and play the game for free. Players will be spending money on virtual items such as weapons for the game’s characters. Items range from customized tattoos for aesthetics, to shoes that make characters jump higher and run faster. The online gaming sector is expected to drive growth in the paid online content market, ahead of music and videos, both genres that have been hurt by piracy. A Frost and Sullivan study late last month showed that revenues from paid online content in the Asia-Pacific had risen by a quarter in 2007 and is expected to grow by a fifth this year to $4.67 billion.
http://www.abs-cbnglobal.com/ItoangPinoy/News/PhilippineNews/ Makati City, August, 2008. Maverick telecommunications provider Philippine Global Communication Inc. (Philcom) partners with IP Converge Data Center, Inc., information technology & telecommunications division of publicly listed IPVG Corp. (PSE:IP), to add an additional 45 Mbps of internet bandwidth. Philcom celebrates its 84th year in the telecommunications industry by reaffirming its commitment to deliver innovative and cost-effective products and services to its customers. Philcom sees IP-Converge as an able partner who will provide quality service characterized by high availability and high bandwidth capacity that leverages on their extensive Internet connectivity to the rest of the world through its diversely routed IP network. “Telecommunications customers have become sophisticated and have very specific requirements so it has become imperative for Philcom to provide services that are responsive to the needs of the market,” says Freddie Romero, Philcom Senior Manager for Project Management and Operations. “Our partnership with IP-Converge will help us meet the demands of our growing customer base.” Philcom anticipates a surge in their clientele through the expansion of their current line of connectivity services. Philcom‘s Reach Internet Direct Access provided broadband solutions only to corporate clients. In 2008, PhilCom developed a new service that would provide residential customers with internet connectivity called Reach Internet DSL. At the same time, Philcom has been aggressively expanding Access Zone, their wireless broadband internet service. Aside from WiFi coverage in select areas in Ortigas Center, Makati and the City of Manila, Philcom has made Access Zone available to SM Mall goers in Clark, Pampanga, North Edsa (Cyberzone and The Block), Megamall, The Podium and SMX Convention Center, with plans to have the service available in all SM malls nationwide within 12-18 months. Recently, Philcom began penetrating coffee shops as well when Figaro at The Block at SM North Edsa enlisted them as partner to service the growing demand for WiFi services from their clientele. PhilCom sees this deal as an opportunity to expand their services further. IP-Converge is a regional data center whose core competency is managed data services particularly server co-location, connectivity services, network security and Disaster recovery with data centers in Makati, Singapore and Hong Kong and points-of-presence in the United States and United Kingdom. IPC is the only wholly-owned Filipino company with direct peering with the Hong Kong Internet Exchange (HKIX) and multiple routes to Singapore. “This partnership gives customers the assurance that dependable internet services will always be available because of Philcom Inc.’s experience and profound understanding of the telecommunications industry matched by IP-Converge’s ability to respond to the constantly changing marketplace,” says IP-Converge Senior Vice President for Sales Butch De los Reyes. Originally known as the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) when it was established on 1924, PhilCom went on to introduce a wealth of firsts in the Philippine telecommunications industry such as direct telephone circuits between the Philippines and the U.S. and Philippines and Japan in 1933, international fax services in 1978, international video conferencing in 1993, International Frame Relay Services in 1995, prepaid internet cards via Webquest in 1996, Assymetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) to corporate accounts in 1998, and dedicated internet access via DSL in 1999.
By Ian C. Sayson (Bloomberg) -- IPVG Corp. climbed the most in a week and a half in Manila trading after the Philippine online-games provider and call center operator said profit rose on record sales and forecast earnings will continue to grow. IPVG jumped 5.3 percent to 3 pesos as of 10:49 a.m. in Manila, heading for its biggest gain since August 8. The stock jumped as much as 7 percent earlier today. Six-month profit increased 16 percent to 50.51 million pesos ($1.11 million) after revenue jumped to 1.79 billion pesos, Manila-based IPVG said yesterday after trading closed. Sales increased almost sixfold from a year earlier, it said. IPVG`s profit will show ``steady improvement`` as it completes integration of assets it acquired, completes accounting changes related to the purchases and sells more of its services, Chief Executive Enrique Gonzalez said.
By JAMES A. LOYOLA Technology firm IPVG Corporation reported a 16 percent growth in net income in the first half of the year to P50.51 million as it continues to expand its business organically and through acquisitions. Excluding P45.4 million in one-time financing charge due to its acquisition of a business process outsourcing firm in the USA, net income would have jumped 121 percent to P95.97 million. "IPVG continues to demonstrate continued revenue growth and traction across all lines of business. We continue to serve a greater number of customers across several geographies through our global infrastructure," said IPVG chief executive officer Enrique Gonzalez. He added that the firm expects a steady improvement in its bottom-line and profit to revenue ratios as IPVG completes the integration of its acquisitions, finish accounting for all one-time charges in relation to acquired companies, and increase margins through revenue growth and maximization of economies of scale and synergies across its various units. "One could say that as we make the transformation from a local company to a global company, we have incurred significant expenses which have compressed our near-term profits," Gonzalez said. However, despite short-term profit to revenue compression, Gonzalez said IPVG is well poised to capture the potential growth across all three sectors. "We are strategically well positioned across all business lines, and stand ready to benefit from further growth which will translate to tangible improvements in our margins and earnings moving forward. We therefore anticipate a stronger second half in 2008," he said. IPVG’s diversified business model, which has tapped strategic vertical industries with global geographic market presence, generated a healthy mid-year financial report. From the BPO group total revenue in the first half of 2008 was P1.07 billion from P1.58 million last year, posting an incredible 68,016 percent growth. These figures account for 60 percent of total revenues. The remarkable increase is attributed to US-based call center Influent which generated sales of P1.03 billion. Other BPO subsidiaries - IPCCO (IP Contact Center Outsourcing, Inc.) and I-PCV (I-Pay Commerce Ventures Inc.) contributed P53.03 millin and P0.27 million, respectively. The Communications group contributed P434.6 million from P193.17 million as contribution from IP-Converge increased 17 percent from P196.69 million to P229.92 million while newly acquired Prolexic Technologies contributed P194.91 million in revenues. The Content business group posted a 178 percent growth from P100.4 million to P278.65 million as online gaming subsidiary IP E-Games further improved its performance from P133.48 million to P211.47 million.
by Riza T. Olchondra MANILA, Philippines—Publicly listed technology firm IPVG Corp. reported that its net income rose 16 percent to P50.51 million in the first half of the year, net of a P45.4-million one-time financing charge arising from acquisition of business process outsourcing (BPO) business in the United States. Net income growth would have been 121 percent without the one-time charge, it said. Net revenue jumped 498 percent to P1.79 billion, IPVG chief executive Enrique Gonzales said, adding that the company was on target to achieve its full-year revenue target of P3.3 billion. The BPO division contributed 60 percent of the total revenue, the communications group 24 percent, and the content segment the remainder, the company said. Gonzales said earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 233 percent between the first half of 2007 and 2008. “This shows how much cash was generated by our businesses,” he said. “And we expect better overall performance in the second half because the one-time charge in our BPO business will not be there and our new acquisitions such as [content provider] Megamobile will be launching services.” Gonzales said IPVG was not really affected by the global economic slowdown, except for a more cautious stance on acquisitions. “Acquisition is not our No. 1 priority now, partly because our focus now is integrating those we have acquired,” he said. “Also, the kind of financing required for mega-purchases like those we tried last year are harder to come by in today’s market.” Gonzales added, “We may not replicate the 68,161-percent year-on-year growth in our BPO sector, because that is coming from a very small base. But we still see double- or triple-digit growth across all our businesses.” He said IPVG was also counting on new premium games to be launched in the second half. He said first on the lineup was NBA Street Online, which is to be launched Friday.
By JUDITH BALEA For the first six months, the company, whose shares are publicly traded, posted a net income of P50.51 million, up 16 percent over the year-earlier period. Earnings before Interest, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) grew 231.4 percent to P183.55 million from P55.39 million in 2007. Revenues, meanwhile, soared 505 percent to P1.8 billion, a record high. "This is the first time for us to register revenues in multi-billion numbers. We are shifting from just a medium-sized to a large and global company," IPVG president and chief executive officer Enrique Gonzalez said in a media briefing. IPVG follows a diversified business model, with investments in communications, online gaming and content, as well as business process outsourcing (BPO). In terms of revenue contribution, its BPO division accounted for the bulk or 60 percent of the total. This group registered revenues of P1.07 billion, an incredible growth from P1.58 million last year, boosted by the acquisition of US-based call center Influent and strong performances of other subsidiaries IP Contact Center Outsourcing and I-Pay Commerce Ventures. The communications division, composed of IP-Converge and newly purchased Prolexic Technologies, contributed revenues of P434.60 million, representing a 24 percent share. Its online gaming unit IP E-Games and content distribution arm Megamobile, meanwhile, contributed P278.65 million or 16 percent of total revenues. From an earnings perspective, however, the communications and online games outpaced the company`s BPO segment, which booked losses relating to one-time financing charges of P45.45 million arising from Influent`s acquisition. Strong second-half While some companies have been pessimistic about growth this year, IPVG said it is confident it can achieve record revenues of P3.3 billion in 2008. The company is banking on its recent acquisitions to fuel this growth as well as operations in key markets aside from the Philippines, including the US, Singapore, Vietnam, Latin America, India and Europe. "The companies we just acquired are still gestating. We can expect full blown performance in the remaining part of the year," Gonzalez said. As IPVG completes the integration of various units, Gonzalez said the company has decided to slow down on its acquisition program. "Aggressive merger and acquisitions require a lot of fund-raising activities. Capital is not as readily available as last year, when the macro economic environment was robust," he said. "We are still selectively looking at acquisitions but it is not our number one priority anymore." IPVG bought five companies last year, with a combined value of over $30 million, according to Gonzalez.
By Lawrence Casiraya MANILA, Philippines -- Publicly listed firm IPVG Corp. reported P1.7 billion in total revenues for the first six months of the year, largely driven by its outsourcing business. Enrique Gonzalez, IPVG chief executive, said business process outsourcing or BPO accounted for more than 60 percent of total revenues. In the first half, BPO revenues surpassed more than a billion pesos, from barely P1.5 million last year. First-half growth is due to IPVG` acquisition of US-based call center operator Influent, which contributed more than P1.03 billion in revenues. IPVG`s other BPO subsidiaries IPCCO (IP Contact Center Outsourcing) and I-PCV (I-Pay Commerce Ventures) contributed P53 million and P270,000, respectively. BPO, however, accounted for more than P75 million in losses, due to one-time expenses in the first half related to IPVG`s acquisitions. Meanwhile, IPVG reported revenues of P434 million from its communications business and P278 million from its gaming and mobile businesses. "Some of our businesses like MegaMobile are still in gestation period of its businesses and we expect to reverse losses the rest of the year," Gonzalez said in a media briefing Wednesday. Earlier this year, IPVG acquired a 70-percent stake in mobile content developer MegaMobile valued at P6.4 million. Meanwhile, Gonzalez said IPVG continues to focus on increasing capacity utilization in local call center unit IPCCO, which runs a total capacity of 260 seats. "Our utilization rate is currently at 50 percent and once we hit 80 (percent) we will begin to expand and build new facilities," he said. Seat capacity, he added, is not a good measure for revenue generation because IPVG is maximizing capacity by running two to three shifts per seat.
By Dennis D. Estopace LISTED IPVG Corp. plans to rein in its spending spree as its chief executive said weakening consumer markets may impact on fundraising. “[Acquisition] is not the number one priority in our list given the macro situation; our ability to raise funds is tempered as we’re in a macro environment that’s not the same type last year,” CEO and president Jaime Enrique Gonzalez told reporters on Wednesday. Gonzalez said the communications technology company’s net income would have reached P45.4 million in the first half had it not spent for acquiring US-based business process outsourcing firm Influent Inc. That purchase, however, expanded IPVG’s reach to seven countries outside the Philippines. “As we make the transformation from a local company to a global company, we have incurred significant expenses which have compressed our near-term profits,” Gonzalez said. IPVG reported a consolidated interim net revenues of P1.79 billion and net income of P50.51 million. Earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) of P184.26 million, the company said, is 233-percent higher than last year. IPVG has posted negative Ebitda rates in 2005 at P38.7 million and 2006 of P115.3 million. Gonzalez said 60 percent of the company’s consolidated revenue came from its BPO segment. IPVG’s other major concerns are in content and communications. The communications segment contributed P434.6 million or 24 percent of total revenue while content—which includes the highly successful online gaming business—represented 16 percent in the first half of this year. Gonzalez said they are maintaining a target profit of P3.3 billion this year. The company’s spending spree that began last year brought its current asset base at P2.6 billion. IPVG is banking on two major clients for its contact center and the further expansion of its gaming business as growth contributors. The gaming company currently accounts for nine million registered users, three million active users, and nearly 100,000 concurrent users of its online games. The firm plans to launch another online game this month after buying the license from Nasdaq-listed firm Electronic Arts Inc. Gonzalez said they would also plan to unveil a new game bought from Perfect World Co. Ltd. of China by the first quarter of next year.
by Katrina Mennen A. Valdez Technology firm IPVG Corp’s net income rose by double digits in the first half of its fiscal year from the same period last year, the company announced in a statement Wednesday. IPVG’s consolidated interim financial results showed P1.79 billion in net revenues and P50.551 million in net income, higher by 16 percent than in the same period last year. Its EBITDA (earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization) during the period surged to P184.26 million, 233 percent higher than in the same period last year. The firm said the growth represents a 498-percent increase in revenue and 16-percent jump in net income from last year. “Excluding one-time financial charge due to Business Process Outsourcing company acquisition in the US, net income would have reached P95.97 million or 121-percent growth year-on-year,” IPVG stated. IPVG said it would continue to serve a greater number of customers across several countries through its global infrastructure. From the firm’s BPO group, the company has posted total revenue of P1.07 billion from P1.58 million in the same period last year. This dramatic increase is attributed to US-based call center Influent, which generated sales of P1.03 billion. Meanwhile, its communications group’s contribution went up to P434.6 million from P193.17 million, representing 24 percent of total revenue in its first half of its fiscal year. Its content business group boosted total revenue by 16 percent to P278.65 million, demonstrating a 178-percent increase from P100.4 million last year. Its online gaming subsidiary IP E-Games improved its revenue performance to P211.47 million, 58 percent higher than last year’s P133.48 million. The firm said: “[We] expect a steady improvement in [our] bottomline and profit to revenue ratios as [we] complete the integration of [our] acquisition, finish accounting for all one time charges in relation to [our] acquired companies, and increase [our] margins through revenue growth and maximization of [our] economies of scale and synergies across [our] various units.”
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/114976/IT-firm-posts-net-income-growth MANILA, Philippines - Listed technology firm IPVG Corp. on Wednesday reported that its bottomline posted a double-digit growth in the year`s first six months. In a statement to the Philippine Stock Exchange, IPVG said its net income jumped 16 percent to P50.51 million while earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization rose 233 percent to P184.26 million. "We expect a steady improvement in our bottom-line and profit to revenue ratios as we complete the integration of our acquisitions, finish accounting for all one-time charges in relation to our acquired companies, and increase our margins through revenue growth and maximization of our economies of scale and synergies across our various units," said Enrique Gonzalez, IPVG chief executive officer. The business process outsourcing group of the company had a total revenues of P1.07 billion or 68,016-percent rise from P1.58 million. The communications group`s earnings improved by 125 percent to P434.6 million. The content business group`s revenues grew 178 percent to P278.65 million. “From an earnings perspective however, communications and online games contributed a total of P 125.67 million, while BPO and Corporate Overhead reported losses of P75.16 million, thus resulting in consolidated earnings of P50.51M in the first six months of 2008," the company said.
By JAMES A. LOYOLA National Receivables Group (NRG), a leading Australian debt management solutions provider, is expanding its contact center operations to the Philippines, through IP Contact Center Outsourcing (IPCCO), an IPVG Corporation BPO subsidiary. "I needed to expand my business to better service our banking and finance clients but I couldn’t find the people locally," said NRG chief executive Michelle Bubke. Bubke, along with Laurence Barlow, major shareholder and company director, were encouraged to visit the Philippines while attending a Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) conference in Sydney earlier in the year. After inspecting dozens of high quality call centers, the Philippine Trade and Investment Center arranged a meeting with IPCCO. According to Bubke, this is NRG’s first international call center. "Like most companies, I looked at India but discovered that the talent pool, time zone and lifestyle were superior in the Philippines. IPCCO’s facilities are great, their executives and staff share the same philosophies and values as NRG," she said. Mohan Kulkarni, Chief Executive Officer of IPCCO said, "we are delighted that NRG chose the Philippines and IPCCO to expand its call center operations. The synergy created by our people skills, excellence in communication, plus our robust technology infrastructure complements NRG’s expertise in the field of debt collection." He added that this alliance further expands IPVG’s global footprint in the BPO market. IPCCO has established international connections through its parent company IPVG with PCCW Teleservices in Asia, a joint venture with Credence Analytics in India, acquisition of Influent in the United States, and an alliance with CMC Telecom in Vietnam. "I am confident that our partnership with NRG will serve our goals to be the best BPO service provider in the Financial Services vertical," Kulkarni said. Bubke said "we planned to start with a small number of agents, but decided to double the head count after the first week. They are a really dedicated, committed group and love working a daytime shift with Australians. I plan to double the staff before Christmas and then 600 agents within the next 18 months."
http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2008/08/17/BSNS20080817132723.html Delivering on its commitment of offering products to improve people’s lives, Philips Electronics and Lighting, Inc., recently inaugurated its Customer Care Center in Quezon City. Through customer care hotlines, Philips now provides local customers with world class customer service and technical expertise. Staffed by representatives specially trained by Philips experts from Europe and other parts of the region, Philips’ Customer Care Center is set up to follow the company’s promise of Sense and Simplicity. "The birth of Philips Consumer Care Center is another milestone for us as we once again fulfilled our promise to our consumers. This additional service is truly a manifestation of what our company is all about. Putting to heart our three pillars – designed around you, easy to experience and advanced - for us, it’s all about you, our customers," says Rico Gonzales, CEO of Philips Electronics and Lighting, Inc. and General Manager of Philips Consumer Lifestyle. With the launch of the Philips Customer Care Center, this milestone shows that Philips is serious about keeping its consumers’ needs on top-of-mind and ensures that they are the reason why Philips continuously create and innovate its products and services to serve its one of a kind Filipino consumer. The Philips Customer Care Center will initially service the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore but will expand its operations to serve several other Asia Pacific countries very soon. "We are delighted that the Philips International Sales Organization has chosen the Philippines to be the center of Consumer Care in ASEAN," enthuses Gonzales. "This just validates the Filipinos’ competence and excellence in communications, as well as our inherent warmth and hospitality. I believe that these qualities make us the world’s best customer care providers. The Dutch global electronics giant partnered with the internationally-acclaimed PCCW Teleservices, who has established a presence in the Philippines via a partnership with a local contact center partner, IP-Contact Center Outsourcing Inc. (IPCCO), to ensure the realization of this service. PCCW Teleservices, a subsidiary of PCCW Limited, is the leading provider of customer contact management and customer relationship management (CRM) services and solutions in Asia Pacific. PCCW Teleservices’s internationally-recognized operational excellence via proprietary processes, procedures and support systems based on world-class standards is replicated in the Philips Customer Care Center.
http://www.abs-cbnglobal.com/ItoangPinoy/News/PhilippineNews/tabid/140/ArticleID/3013/TargetModuleID/516/Default.aspx Manila, Philippines – ational Receivables Group (NRG), a leading Australian debt management solutions provider expands its contact centre operations to the Philippines, through IP Contact Center Outsourcing (IPCCO), an IPVG Corp. (PSE: IP) BPO subsidiary. Michelle Bubke, CEO of NRG said, “I needed to expand my business to better service our banking and finance clients but I couldn’t find the people locally. The tight labor market in Australia had made it difficult to expand operations nationally and we had been researching offshore options for more than 12 months. Out of a number of possible locations, we chose the Philippines”. The chief executive along with Laurence Barlow, major shareholder and company director, were encouraged to visit the Philippines while attending a Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) conference in Sydney earlier in the year. After inspecting dozens of high quality call centers, the Philippine Trade and Investment Center arranged a meeting with IPCCO. According to Ms. Bubke, this is NRG’s first international call center. “Like most companies, I looked at India but discovered that the talent pool, time zone and lifestyle were superior in the Philippines. IPCCO’s facilities are great, their executives and staff share the same philosophies and values as NRG”. Mohan Kulkarni, Chief Executive Officer of IPCCO said, “We are delighted that NRG chose the Philippines and IPCCO to expand its call center operations. The synergy created by our people skills, excellence in communication, plus our robust technology infrastructure complements NRG’s expertise in the field of debt collection.” “This alliance further expands IPVG’s global footprint in the BPO market. IPCCO has established international connections through its parent company IPVG with PCCW Teleservices in Asia, a joint venture with Credence Analytics in India, acquisition of Influent in the United States, and an alliance with CMC Telecom in Vietnam. I am confident that our partnership with NRG will serve our goals to be the best BPO service provider in the Financial Services vertical,” Kulkarni said. Bubke revealed, “We planned to start with a small number of agents, but decided to double the head count after the first week. They are a really dedicated, committed group and love working a daytime shift with Australians. I plan to double the staff before Christmas and then 600 agents within the next 18 months.” Bubke is a regular contributor to various Children’s Charities and a large supporter of underprivileged women in Australia. She would like to extend those core values of helping others to her new adopted home, The Philippines. She was this year’s winner of the Queensland Business Review - Women in Business, Financial and Business Services category award.
By Zinnia B. Dela Peña
Philippine Star – Business page C2 http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=49&type=2&sec=27&aid=2008080722 August 8, 2008 I-Play Online Games Inc., a joint venture between information technology conglomerate IPVG and leading broadcasting firm GMA Network Inc., said it has secured the right to localize and market the popular NBA Street Online game in the Philippines. NBA Street Online will be the first in the planned salvo of games to be launched and operated by I-Play in its quest to take online casual gaming to greater heights. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, IPVG said I-Play was authorized by Electronic Arts Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd as the exclusive licensee of the latter’s NBA Street Online game. No other details were given by the company. In its website, I-Play said among the other games it intends to include in its portfolio are the popular dance casual game, Audition Dance Battle, and the music rhythm game, O2Jam. I-Play was organized primarily to focus on the designing, operating and maintaining casual online gaming and casual online gaming-related portals. Initially capitalized at P800 million, I-Play also aims at evolving and promoting digital content development, especially with the convergence of traditional and digital media through IPVG’s online gaming unit IP E-Games and GMA-New Media Inc. (GMA-NMI), the digital media arm of GMA-7. IP E-Games is the number one online games publisher in the Philippines and holds the top three titles in the Philippines - Ran Online, O2Jam and Audition. Its strategic minority investors include the Philippine Star Group and E-Store Exchange (an affiliate of GMA-7). GMA-NMI, on the other hand, launched category-breaking projects in multiple platforms, including mobile, Internet and digital TV since its inception in 2000. It owns the leading celebrity mobile phone portal, Fanatxt, and powers all the SMS-TV campaigns of GMA. The company was the first to introduce interactive chat and gaming in Philippine television. Among its most recognized innovations are the first landline telegaming segment called PLDT Playtym and the first made-for-TV interactive game show, Txters V. It has a major stake in some of the Philippines’ most successful online properties such as GMANews.tv and Pep.ph. On the broadcast side, GMA-NMI produces breakthrough real-time special effects for GMA. Anticipating the changing media landscape on a global scale, NMI is venturing into digital TV through its Internet TV and Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) offerings, which will allow global audiences not only to access GMA content but also to customize it to their liking.
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