Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

Optimus Prime is in the house today as we speak to the company behind the Transformers franchise.  Founded in 1923, our guest Hasbro actually started out selling textile remnants and pencil boxes before becoming the leading toy and game company it is today.  Now, the firm aspires to entertain and connect generations of fans through the exhilaration of play.  Some of the names under the company’s portfolio include Play-Doh, Monopoly, Peppa Pig, Transformers, Dungeons & Dragons, Hasbro Games as well as other premier partner brands.  The firm had in April reported a smaller-than-expected drop in Q1 sales as leaner inventories and a steady stream of digital gaming revenue bolstered it from softer demand for toys.  But with Grand View Research valuing the global toys and games market at US$324.7 billion in 2023 and the industry set to grow at a CAGR of 4.3% from 2024 to the end of the decade (2030), how does Hasbro assess its road ahead? Which brands will continue to drive growth? Speaking of brands, the firm appears to be doubling down on its Monopoly brand, especially after the Monopoly Go mobile game reached US$2 billion in revenue in the first 10 months since its launch.  For one thing, it had in April this year signed a deal with LuckyChap, the award winning production company headed by Margot Robbie to produce a motion picture movie based on the Monopoly classic board game.   A Transformers animated movie is also set to release in September. But how far will movie production help Hasbro drive mind-share and profits looking at the success of its competitor Mattel and the Barbie movie?  On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Bhavesh Somaya, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, Hasbro.

The theme for this year's i Light Singapore event is Cyclical Nature. So what is this theme about? And what else can we expect for this year's i Light Singapore? On Culture Club, Hongbin Jeong and Roshan Gidwani speaks to Jason Chen, Festival Director, i Light Singapore, to know what can we expect for this year's event. Presented by: Hongbin Jeong and Roshan Gidwani Produced and Edited by: Alexandra Parada (alexparada@sph.com.sg) Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!

On What's Trending, Keanu Reeves has been spotted doing odd jobs in Thailand, including selling Thai tea at a night market and washing dishes from a street food stall. But here’s the catch – was it really him? Also, Elvis Presley's former house is not the only place in the world to feel the presence of the King. Fans can find traces of Elvis's life, work, and electric dancing everywhere from Tokyo to Australia and Mississippi to Denmark.

Sean Kingston’s Florida mansion has been raided by police because he has not fully paid for a huge TV and sound system. He suggested that he would create promotional videos for the company with Justin Bieber as a form of payment since he made “as small a down payment as possible”.

The stage is set for a showpiece event at Wembley, as for the second consecutive season in a row a Manchester Derby will decide the winners of the FA Cup. With City in 'four-midable' form and United in the doldrums, is the outcome a foregone conclusion? Not according to two-time FA Cup winner Shaun Wright-Phillips, who weighs in on the showpiece event at Wembley and his admiration for Pep Guardiola! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore stocks were pulled into negative territory today following overnight losses on Wall Street. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) headed down 0.4 per cent to 3,310 points after 49.1 million securities changed hands in the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch today, we have Jardine Matheson Holdings, after the conglomerate reported yesterday that the performance of its businesses in the first quarter of 2024 was similar to that in the year-ago period. Elsewhere, from Singapore’s factory output falling 1.6 per cent year on year in April to Nvidia reportedly cutting prices of chips in China – more local and corporate headlines remain in focus.   On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Sunny Soh, Lead Technical Analyst (Capital Markets & Investor Education), SIAS.

The Tanghulu craze has taken over South Korea. The candied skewer has origins in ancient China, but recently, it’s shape-shifted. But what makes Korean Tanghulu different from China’s? 

Diecast Singapore isn't just about tiny cars – it's a thriving community of enthusiasts, collectors, and 2storytellers, who are passionate about diecast collecting. On R.I.C.H., Hongbin Jeong and Roshan Gidwani speaks to Jordan Teo, Founder, Daily Diecast Singapore, about his journey from a casual collector to running a top diecast retailer in Singapore. Presented by: Hongbin Jeong and Roshan Gidwani Produced and Edited by: Alexandra Parada (alexparada@sph.com.sg) Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!

Commenhers, a fashion brand founded by Yanee and her students, transforms textile waste into stylish apparel. They source materials from Singapore and Malaysia, minimizing carbon footprint and addressing textile waste. On Culture Club, Hongbin Jeong and Roshan Gidwani speaks to Yanee, CEO & Co-founder, Commenhers, to find out more. Presented by: Hongbin Jeong and Roshan Gidwani Produced and Edited by: Alexandra Parada (alexparada@sph.com.sg) Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!

On What's Trending, at the Cannes Film Festival, the spotlight was on celebrities, filmmakers, models, artists, and actors. But a new highlight was "Snoop," a border collie from the 2023 film "Anatomy of a Fall," who opened the ceremony by climbing the Grand Luxerian Theatre. Also, a toddler was named the world's youngest male painter.