SportsHero secures Malaysia market entry via partnership with MAXIS
SportsHero Limited (ASX: SHO) has signed a partnership agreement with MAXIS, one of Malaysia’s largest telecommunications providers, to launch its HeroPlay gaming product into the Malaysian market. The deal marks SportsHero’s fourth major SE Asian telco partnership, extending the company’s distribution network across three markets: Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Integration work begins immediately, with the platform expected to go live with MAXIS in the December quarter. Revenue from customer subscriptions will be shared 65% to SportsHero and 35% to MAXIS, with no minimum subscription guarantees required for SportsHero to earn its revenue share.
MAXIS brings a customer base of approximately 10.8 million users, providing HeroPlay with a sizeable new audience in a higher-value economy than the company’s existing markets.
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Why Malaysia changes the revenue equation for SportsHero
Malaysia’s economic profile is a meaningful differentiator. Using 2025 World Bank figures, Malaysia’s GDP per capita is approximately 2.6x Indonesia’s and 3.1x the Philippines’, and HeroPlay pricing in Malaysia is planned to be 2.6x to 3.2x higher on average across the product suite compared to Indonesian telco pricing. Management expects this to improve overall revenue per user over time.
The Malaysian gaming market itself is growing at pace. IMARC estimates the industry was worth approximately US$1.1 billion in 2025, forecast to reach approximately US$2.3 billion by 2034 at a compound annual growth rate of +8.04%. Digital payments are adding further tailwinds, with Bank Negara Malaysia reporting that e-payments grew +25% to 18.4 billion transactions in 2025. That trend is relevant to HeroPlay as SportsHero expands its product offering beyond subscriptions into vouchers, ePINs, in-app purchases, webstores, digital content and other gaming products.
The Razer supply agreement signed earlier in 2026 added over 1,000 digital gaming products to HeroPlay, moving the platform beyond subscriptions into vouchers, ePINs and top-ups for titles including Mobile Legends, Free Fire and PUBG, which directly supports the expanded product suite SportsHero is now deploying across its growing telco base.
The addressable market foundations are also strong. Data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) shows that 99.6% of Malaysians aged 15 and above used a mobile phone in 2025, and 98.3% used the internet, while 97.1% of households had internet access.
CEO commentary
Tom Lapping, CEO, SportsHero
“We’re excited to be adding MAXIS as a new telco partner in Malaysia, a new territory for SportsHero. It’s a great fit for HeroPlay, with a highly connected mobile market, a growing gaming sector and a large high value customer base…”
Understanding Direct Carrier Billing — HeroPlay’s distribution edge in SE Asia
Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) allows consumers to pay for HeroPlay products directly through their pre-paid or post-paid phone account, with no bank card required. All four of SportsHero’s current telco agreements include DCB capability.
This matters in SE Asia because an estimated ~24% of the region’s population is “unbanked”, meaning they lack formal bank accounts or access to debit or credit cards. In Indonesia alone, that figure rises to approximately ~48%. By routing payments through existing phone accounts, DCB removes a structural barrier to monetisation that would otherwise exclude a significant portion of the addressable market.
Four telco partners, 236 million accounts — the HeroPlay distribution network
SportsHero’s telco network now spans four partners across Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, providing access to an estimated ~236 million combined customer accounts. The broader SE Asian region represents a total addressable market of approximately 660 million people and 432 million gamers.
The announcement confirms MAXIS (Malaysia) and XLSmart (Indonesia) as named partners. The source references four partners in total across three markets, but does not individually name all four in the body text. The table below reflects only what is verifiable from the announcement.
The XLSmart HeroPlay expansion, confirmed in late July 2026, brought a second major Indonesian telco channel with 73 million subscribers into the distribution network, adding a meaningful base ahead of the MAXIS integration now commencing in Malaysia.
| Telco Partner | Market | Customer Accounts | DCB Enabled | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XLSmart | Indonesia | Not individually disclosed | Yes | Active |
| Additional Indonesia partner(s) | Indonesia | Not individually disclosed | Yes | Active |
| Philippines partner(s) | Philippines | Not individually disclosed | Yes | Active |
| MAXIS | Malaysia | ~10.8 million | Yes | Integration commencing — go-live targeted December quarter |
Management has framed this network build as validation of the company’s “gaming universe playbook”, describing the model as one that can be quickly and efficiently replicated across a growing number of global markets.
About MAXIS — quick context for investors
- Established 1993; a leading telecommunications provider in Malaysia offering mobile, home fibre and enterprise services
- Approximately 9.93 million total mobile subscribers as at May 2026
- Approximately 807,000 home broadband subscribers
- Strong 4G and 5G network coverage; recently launched AI-powered call assistant services to enhance customer experience
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