BATTLE OF THE SEXES, A MALAYSIAN SOCIAL NETWORKING START-UP, MAKES IT TO WORLD’S TOP 5

Maxis’ innovative offering enables Malaysians to socially interact in an enriched online environment


Kuala Lumpur, 18 October 2011
Maxis Berhad (Maxis), Malaysia’s leading integrated communications service provider, today revealed that its homegrown social networking initiative, Battle of the Sexes, has since its 2009 launch grown to the present attainment of 1.5 million Malaysian members. The social networking programme has also gained accolades for its compelling framework, from two global innovation awards bodies in this year alone, ranking in each case within the top five. Battle of the Sexes was selected as a Finalist for Best Social Media service at the Meffys mobile content awards 2011 and is currently in the running to win the Best Content Service award at the industry-leading World Communication Awards 2011 which takes place in November.

Battle of the Sexes gives Malaysians the chance to meet and get to know each other in the social network sphere, by engaging in an entertaining battle of wits that reflects eternal and enjoyable gender differences. Through Battle of the Sexes, every day across the country, participants engage in a lively online battle on connected devices ranging from feature phones to PCs and tablets. Initially a WAP-based mobile gaming service, Battle of the Sexes’ current height of gender battle in the social networking sphere comprises 4.4 million page views generated every day, including from 22,000 unique daily visitors on average.
2nd and 3rd from left – Maxis’ Chief Operating Officer Jean-Pascal van Overbeke and Maxis Vice President and Head of Product, Devices and Innovation T Kugan, flanked by two Malaysian youths representing the lively state of online gender battle being engaged in by the connected community, over phones, computers and tablets.

Any Battle of the Sexes participant can enjoy an unlimited degree of public and private chatting, uploads and sharing, weekly mobile game downloads, and also win movie premiums and tickets to easily extend enjoyable battle into ground territory. The price of entry into this online arena is affordable to all Maxis customers, as all data charges are suppressed in favour of a RM2 weekly and all-inclusive fee.

Said Maxis’ Chief Operating Officer Jean-Pascal van Overbeke, “We are pleased to provide Malaysians with more opportunity to interact socially, in an online environment that is fun, affordable, rewarding and constantly being enriched with new features, as part of Maxis’ leadership in data services for the Malaysian way of life. Maxis’ innovations aim to deliver to Malaysians what makes sense to them in the context of their lives. We’ll continue to grow local initiatives which make life richer in the ways that are cared about here”.

Jean-Pascal continued, “Battle of the Sexes, which began as a game, has evolved to become a local social networking community in line with global trends. We would like to thank all Malaysians who have made this platform so successful. Battle of the Sexes is ultimately a Malaysian social site, powered by an engine created by Malaysian companies – Techninier Sdn Bhd and Maxis, with content and participation by Malaysians. We’re elated that Battle of the Sexes has become a unique and celebrated case study in the wider global social networking phenomenon”.
From left - Maxis’ Chief Operating Officer Jean-Pascal van Overbeke and Maxis Vice President and Head of Product, Devices and Innovation T Kugan, proud to present Malaysians with more opportunity to interact socially, in an online environment that is fun, affordable, safe and rewarding.

“Maxis and Techninier Sdn Bhd’s partnership is the latest example of how Maxis collaborates for the development of the local content industry. Maxis is no stranger to local content development and innovation, having launched initiatives to nurture Malaysia’s content space since 2007. Its Maxis Mobile Content Challenge held in collaboration with the Ministry of Information Communications and Culture and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, has thus far generated 461 new ideas to help spur the growth of the indigenous mobile content industry and programme alumni have gone on to gain awards and recognition in the local content sphere”.

Some of the key features of Battle of the Sexes include: a personality profile test which places participants into 16 types for matching; the Battle of the Sexes Domination Bar, a real-time battle score card; wrestling for administrative chat room rights; movie updates and movie wallpaper downloads; and gift exchange enabled by the virtual currency of the realm, safely purchased through Maxis’ billing system.

To find out more about Malaysia’s online Battle of the Sexes, point your mobile browser to
http://m.botsmax.com/, or surf to botsmax.com from your desktop and tablet. To subscribe, SMS to 27117. Subscription is charged at RM2 weekly, with first-time users enjoying the first seven days for free.