Ticketmaster, a US ticket sales system under Live Nation Entertainment, announced plans last week to expand into Asia by acquiring Taiwan’s Tixcraft Inc. and launching Ticketmaster Singapore, increasing its presence to 32 countries around the world. Ticketmaster is a global ticketing giant with over 500 million tickets processed yearly.
“By bringing Ticketmaster’s technology and service to Taiwan and tapping into the company’s huge global network, we will revolutionize the ticketing experience for fans, venues, sports clubs and event organizers in Taiwan,” said KT Chiu, chief executive officer of Tixcraft who founded the Taiwanese ticketing platform in 2014.
However, some Taiwanese users are concerned about certain features of Ticketmaster, including the “resale” function that allows buyers to sell tickets at higher prices — such tickets are seen as “scalper tickets” in Taiwan. In order to assuage concerns, Live Nation Entertainment has said that functions inappropriate for Taiwan may be removed from the Taiwanese system.
Photo courtesy of Big Hit Entertainment
照片︰Big Hit Entertainment提供
(Eddy Chang, Taipei Times)
理想國演藝公司旗下的Ticketmaster售票系統,上週宣布拓展亞洲版圖,收購台灣的拓元售票系統,並在新加坡推出Ticketmaster Singapore,將其業務擴增至全球三十二個國家。Ticketmaster可說是售票系統的領導品牌,每年處理超過五億張各式票券。
拓元執行長邱光宗說:「把Ticketmaster的技術和服務引進台灣,運用公司廣布全球的龐大網路,我們將全面翻轉台灣粉絲、場館、體育俱樂部和活動主辦單位的票務體驗。」這個本土售票平台是他在二○一四年所創立。
不過有些台灣使用者,對Ticketmaster的功能感到憂心,例如「再次販售」的功能允許買家以高價轉賣自己的票券——而這就像是台灣俗稱的「黃牛票」。為了澄清疑慮,理想國回應不適合台灣風土民情的系統功能,將可能會視情況刪減。
(台北時報張聖恩〉
A: Yet another shopping mall has just opened in Taipei. B: Do you mean the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang? A: Yeah, the shopping mall run by Japanese Mitsui & Co. opened last week. B: I hear the mall features about 300 stores, Vieshow Cinemas and Japanese Lopia supermarket. A: With the opening, a war is breaking out between Taipei’s department stores. A: 台北又有新的購物商場可逛啦。 B: 你是說Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport 南港? A: 對啊這家日本三井集團旗下的商場上週開幕。 B: 聽說商場有威秀影城、樂比亞日系超市,還有多達300家專櫃。 A: 新商場一開幕,看來又要掀起一場百貨大戰啦! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
Indonesia is undertaking an ambitious project to relocate its capital from Jakarta to Nusantara, a new city in the province of East Kalimantan. This bold endeavor aims to address the severe environmental challenges and urban congestion plaguing Jakarta. The current capital city struggles with acute air pollution, frequent flooding, and rapid land subsidence. Experts predict that by 2050, a third of Jakarta could be submerged. The primary causes include excessive groundwater extraction and rising sea levels attributed to climate change. Moreover, with a population of over 10 million, it’s very much the economic center of the country. Unfortunately, this
A: Hey, didn’t you go to the opening of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang last week? B: Yeah, there are about 300 shops, including the first overseas branch of Japan’s Mahou Dokoro — a famous Harry Potter-themed store. A: Wow, I’ve always wanted to get a magic wand. B: There are also a bunch of great restaurants, such as Smart Fish hotpot restaurant. A: I wish I had Harry Potter’s “apparition” and “disapparition” magic, so I could teleport to the mall right now. A: 你上週不是有去LaLaport南港的盛大開幕嗎?有什麼特別的? B: 那裡有多達300家專櫃,包括魔法之地的海外首店——它可是日本知名的《哈利波特》專賣店。 A: 哇我一直想買根魔杖。 B: 另外還有各式各樣的美食,像是林聰明沙鍋魚頭。 A: 真希望我也有哈利波特的「現影術/消影術」魔法,能瞬間移動到商場去! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
When it comes to movies, some people delight in watching spine-chilling horror films. Surprisingly, apart from containing a few scares, horror movies may also offer an unexpected __1__. According to a study, watching 90 minutes of a scary movie can burn an average of 113 calories, which is roughly __2__ to taking a 30-minute walk. Researchers from the University of Westminster carried out an experiment in which they __3__ participants’ oxygen intake, carbon dioxide output, and heart rates while they were watching horror movies without any distractions. The results revealed that physiological responses to fear play a crucial role