Southeast Asia Records Streaming Subs Growth

The base of premium VOD subscribers in Southeast Asia grew by 1.5 million in Q2, almost double the gains recorded in the first quarter, according to new data from Media Partners Asia (MPA).

Using its ampd measurement platform, MPA found that total viewership across screens in the region topped 3.1 billion hours across Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Netflix, Viu, Vidio, iQIYI and WeTV accounted for more than 85 percent of that viewership.

“Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines led regional subscriber growth,” said Vivek Couto, executive director of MPA. “More connected TV viewership and growing engagement with local and Asian content, particularly Korean, Thai and Indonesian, continues to power both engagement and subscriber momentum.”

Subs growth was led by Viu, Netflix and iQIYI, accounting for more than 60 percent of Q2’s net new additions. Netflix remains out front with 12.8 million subscribers, followed by Viu with 9.9 million.

Disney+ recorded gains in the Philippines thanks to targeted promotions and strong franchise engagement. Vidio reigns supreme in Indonesia with 5 million subs and a 20 percent share of premium VOD engagement. True ID continues to dominate Thailand in terms of subs, despite slowing growth, while Netflix leads in engagement with a 43 percent share.

“Korean dramas dominated again, capturing 35 percent of total viewing hours,” said Dhivya T, lead analyst and head of insights at MPA and ampd. “But local storytelling continues to matter, especially in Indonesia and Thailand, where 44 to 46 percent of users engage with local content. Thai series are increasingly resonating across borders, while Vidio’s youth and action originals are deepening engagement in Indonesia.”

Outside of Korean dramas, Thai content is traveling well across the region, as is Chinese content on freemium services such as WeTV, iQIYI and Viu.