Influencer Jianhao Tan to captain Singapore-Malaysia team in global live commerce competition
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The Singapore-Malaysia team for X The League comprises (from far right) Sonia Chang, Elle Onni, Debbie Soon and Jianhao Tan. With them is Ms Joanne Liew (far left), general manager of Gushcloud Singapore.
PHOTO: ENA KOREA
SINGAPORE – Singapore and Malaysia will field a combined team in the inaugural X The League (XTL), billed as the world’s first global live commerce championship, which brings together influencers from around the world to compete in live-selling challenges.
There will be seven other teams participating – from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, China and the United States.
The competition will feature five rounds of challenges until July, and its first round takes place from March 23 to April 11. The winning team will receive a cash prize of US$500,000 (S$640,000).
The Singapore-Malaysia team will be captained by Singaporean influencer Jianhao Tan, one of South-east Asia’s most-watched YouTube creators with more than seven million subscribers.
His teammates comprise his content creator-wife Debbie Soon, as well as Malaysians Elle Onni and Sonia Chang.
In a press statement, Tan said: “Singapore may be the smallest market in the competition, but that is also our advantage. We have always had to think creatively, be more resourceful and look beyond our borders. Teaming up with Malaysia brings together two highly engaged communities, and I am excited to see what we can achieve together.”
The Singapore-Malaysia team is owned by global creator management and licensing company Gushcloud International, which will direct live-selling strategy, coordinate cross-border creator collaboration and manage competitive execution for the Singapore-Malaysia contingent throughout the tournament.
Ms Joanne Liew, general manager of Gushcloud Singapore, said: “This is the first time Singapore has fielded a team in a global live commerce league of this scale, and we are entering as underdogs with something to prove.
“But the opportunity is enormous. In Singapore alone, social commerce – including live commerce – already accounts for about a third of the e-commerce market. Competitions like X The League show how creator-led communities can turn influence into real commercial performance on a global stage.”
The upcoming X The League competition will be hosted by Thai rapper-singer BamBam (right) and American singer-songwriter Tiffany Young.
PHOTO: ENA KOREA
The competition pits creator-led teams against one another through multi-round live-selling challenges, scored on audience engagement and commercial performance, blending entertainment with real commercial stakes.
The show is expected to premiere on Netflix Korea in the second half of 2026, and will subsequently air on other platforms in other countries.
It is hosted by Thai rapper-singer BamBam, a member of K-pop boy band Got7, and American singer-songwriter Tiffany Young from K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation.
