TFC Lounge launched at Seasons MarketPlace in Milpitas

Feb. 28, 2011 - PRLog -- ABS-CBN International’s The Filipino Channel (TFC) unveiled on February 26 the first ever TFC Lounge in the U.S. in partnership with Seasons MarketPlace at Landess, the new retail and dining center opened by Ayalafil Management and the Seafood City Family of Companies in the heart of Silicon Valley in Milpitas, California.

Customers of Seasons MarketPlace last Saturday were greeted at the main entrance with giant banners of the top-rated TFC show, Imortal, and a TFC center table with life-sized standees of famous TFC stars like Piolo Pascual, Anne Curtis, Sam Milby and Zaijan Jaranilla.  Then they were led to the TFC Lounge by paw and foot prints on the mall’s floor of Imortal characters Mateo and Lia which contained facts and trivia about the stars and the show.

The TFC lounge has several components: TFC Video On Demand experience; an Imortal wall with life-sized standees of the characters, Mateo and Lia. Visitors who send photos to customerserviceus@abs-cbni.com could be featured on TFConnect or Barangay USA on TFC; a Mutya Dreamboard where one can write personal wishes and dreams. Mutya is a TFC series on hope, faith and love in the fantasy world of mermaids; a Mara o Clara diary where, based on the TFC teleserye Mara Clara, one can write about a Mara or Clara experience. The best Mutya wish or Mara Clara experience will be featured on TFC’s Barangay USA.

The special TFC event kicked off in the morning with a Starry Starry Store tiangge, a mini-shopping bazaar that offered some top items from the popular ABS-CBN online shopping site www.starrystarry.com.  TFC also had a live demo of TFC Video On Demand which allows watching TFC via the built-in wireless connectivity of the new set top box that could receive high speed broadband internet connection signal.

At 12 noon, TFC hosted a media lunch at one of the restaurants in Seasons, Max’s of Manila, which was attended by representatives from Bay Area-based publications Inquirer.net, Manila Mail, Philippine Headlines, Asian Journal, Filipinas Magazine, The Islander on Ch. 28, Philippines Today, Filipino Gazette and FilAm Star.

At 2:00pm, Milpitas Mayor Jose Esteves and wife Susan, joined for the ribbon-cutting ceremony ABS-CBN International officers led by North America Managing Director Olivia De Jesus, Senior Director of Cable & Satellite Jun Del Rosario, Ad Sales Director Ricky Resurreccion, Telco, Retail and Theatrical Director Kerwin Du and Head of Cargo & Remittance Pia Palpal-latoc  with Philippine Department of Tourism Director Rene De los Santos, Balitang America anchorwoman Gel Santos Relos, North America News Bureau Chief Nadia Trinidad and award-winning reporter Henni Espinosa, and the three members of the new Adobo Nation barkada: Julius Santos, Suzette Hernandez and Susan Johnson.  At 4:00pm, Balitang America representatives had a Meet and Greet with fans while the Adobo Nation barkada packed Seasons events suite where they held a mini-show for weekend shoppers.

“The partnership with TFC is a logical move; it’s a team-up waiting to happen.  Seasons MarketPlace is a one-stop Filipino lifestyle center, the first of its kind in the U.S., while TFC is very much a part of the lifestyle of Filipinos in the U.S.  It’s natural for us to partner with TFC and we’re very excited to do so,” said Seasons MarketPlace Director Dinna Bayangos.

"Our concept for the TFC Lounge is to provide Seasons MarketPlace shoppers an engaging experience with TFC right in the heart of their community.  The Lounge is our way of enabling our subscribers to interact with TFC - the shows, the characters - while they are shopping at Seasons.  There, they can be the stars in the lounge's interactive offerings.  It's our way of enhancing fun and entertainment in the shopping experience of Seasons' visitors," said ABS-CBN Senior Director for Cable & Satellite and TFC Head Jun Del Rosario."

Mayor Jose Esteves, for his part, put it succinctly: “The TFC Lounge is a big deal with Filipinos in Milpitas, because with TFC, they always feel closer to home.”

Watch out for more announcements on activities and shows soon at the TFC Lounge at Seasons MarketPlace.

About ABS-CBN International
ABS-CBN International was created over 15 years ago to be of service to all Filipinos. With the launch of The Filipino Channel (TFC), the company became the first and most successful Filipino broadcaster in the U.S. The company offers telecommunication, retail, theatricals, money remittance and cargo services, online audio and video streaming, IPTV, On Demand, along with philanthropic support for Filipinos and the communities they now call home.  Based in Redwood City, Calif., ABS-CBN International is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ABS-CBN Corporation, the Philippines’ multimedia company. For more information, visit www.abs-cbnglobal.com.

About Seasons MarketPlace
Seasons MarketPlace is AYALAFIL’s first Filipino lifestyle center in the United States.   It has over 75,000 sq ft of retail space and is home to one of the newest stores of Seafood City and many other establishments dedicated to food shopping, dining, beauty & wellness and services.  For more information, visit www.theseasonsmarketplace.com .