PRIVATELY held electronic-Sports (eSports) firm TNC Philippine Holdings Inc. (TNCPHI) is keen on going public within the next three years or by 2020 to spur the company’s growth and cement its position in the local cyber-café market.
TNCPHI Chairman Eric M. Redulfin told the BusinessMirror they are currently establishing new businesses and expanding its current cyber-café operations to become subsidiaries of the newly found holding firm.
“Our target really for creating this holding firm is go for public listing. Of course, it takes some time or years, so right now we are preparing for that,” Redulfin said in an interview. “Our target is within three years. We still have to add more businesses under the holding company. Of course, if you are a holding company, having only one line of business is quite risky.” Redulfin added a group of certain businessmen who are not involved in the eSport or cyber-café business convinced him to make his company publicly listed.
“We are doing this to expand our business further,” he said. “Last year a lot of businesspeople talked to me about the idea of going public.”
Redulfin revealed that among the businesses they are planning to establish include a merchandise line and a cryptocurrency exchange system. He added they are also expanding their existing cyber-café business, which is under TNC Inc., next year.
The TNCPHI executive said they recently rolled out their mid-tier cyber-café line in the country. Called “TNC Premium Café”, it is a combination of cyber café and the usual coffee shop. TNCPHI recently established a TNC Premium Café in Lacson Avenue, Manila.
“We will be opening four TNC Premium Café: one in Recto, one in Cavite, one in Bulacan and one in Butuan,” he said. “A TNC Premium Café has more than 100 computers and it also caters coffee services. My specific market for this type of cyber café is really gamers.”
Redulfin added they are keen in reaching 200 branches for its low-tier cyber café, TheNet.Com, by end of 2018. There are currently at least 150 branches of TheNet.Com nationwide, he said.
“There are currently 17 ongoing construction for our TheNet.Com branches nationwide, the majority of which are in Luzon,” Redulfin said. “We are planning to construct 20 more in the Visayas-Mindanao region next year.”
TNCPHI describes itself as an eSports company that focuses heavily on developing eSports scenario in the Philippines by targeting multiple gaming platforms. The company hopes doing so will consequently strengthen the conviction of players in the eSports market in the local and global scenario, according to documents provided by the company. eSports or competitive gaming refers to the play of “mind sports” and video games competitively.
TNCPHI currently has more than 100 branches of TNC Cyber Café across the country with more than 12,000 computer units in total.