Premium VOD growth accelerated in Southeast Asia in 2025, according to new insights from Media Partners Asia (MPA), with subs rising 19% year on year and viewership reaching 4.2 billion hours in Q4, powered by CTV gains and interest in local content reaching an “inflection point,” the company said.
Across the region, Korean content reached 51% of users and accounted for 27% of hours viewed, followed by content from the U.S., Chinese-language fare, Indonesian programming, Japanese and Thai.
Tapping into intelligence from its proprietary measurement platform, AMPD, MPA found that paid subs across Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore hit 61 million subs, led largely by Indonesia, which accounted for a disproportionate share of new signups, MPA said. Thailand and the Philippines showed “steady” expansion. Malaysia and Singapore showed slower subs gains, given the maturity of those markets, but did record gains in engagement and monetization.
Overall, premium VOD viewing hours in the region rose by 8% quarter-on-quarter to reach 4.2 billion, powered by double-digit momentum from Netflix (14%) and iQIYI (10%) regionally. Vidio in Indonesia saw its viewing hours rise by a significant 24%.
Indonesia remains Southeast Asia’s biggest growth engine, with subs rising to just under 27 million, led by Netflix, Vidio, Viu, and iQIYI. Of note, Indonesian content has now hit parity with Korean fare, each delivering a VOD viewership share of 30%, reaching close to 50% of users. Vidio’s originals helped drive the overall Indonesian content market, serving as key boosters of users and engagement.
Netflix remains the biggest streamer in the region across subs, monthly active users, and total viewing, anchored around global franchises, Korean tentpoles, and local acquisitions in Indonesia and Thailand. The regional second-place spot is held by Viu, which is finding traction with Korean dramas and select local fare. The biggest local operator is Indonesia’s Vidio, the second largest after Netflix in terms of viewership and revenue share thanks to its aforementioned originals as well as sports. The platform boasted the second-highest streamed hours in Southeast Asia after Netflix in Q4. Another dominant regional player is iQIYI, which drove subs and viewership in the second half, notably in Indonesia and Thailand, thanks to long-form Chinese dramas and live action, as well as Chinese microdramas and Thai scripted.
“Korean content continued to anchor reach across Southeast Asia in 2025, but local originals are now playing a far more central role in driving both acquisition and engagement,” said Dhivya T, lead analyst and head of insights at MPA and AMPD. “Indonesia stood out this year, with local titles competing directly with Korean dramas at the top of the premium VOD rankings. This is a meaningful shift that reflects improving content quality, stronger distribution, and rising audience confidence in local storytelling. Thai content also demonstrated strong cross-border travelability, while Chinese dramas remained a key engagement driver on freemium and hybrid platforms across multiple markets.”
Content from Thailand was consumed by 11.1 million viewers outside the country, led by Netflix-licensed and original horror films and series.
Beyond the rising resonance of Asian content, the region’s premium VOD space is also being reshaped by CTV, which is driving a growing share of viewing hours, time spent by user and deeper engagement, even as mobile remains the primary access point. CTV gains are being driven by Indonesia and the Philippines.
The market is also consolidating around a select number of platforms; three to four services landed some 70% of subscriptions and engagement.
