Southeast Asian SVOD Subs Top 33 Million

Online video consumption in Southeast Asia topped 1.25 trillion minutes across AVOD, SVOD, freemium and game streaming platforms in the third quarter, with the number of SVOD subs in the region hitting 33 million, according to new analysis from Media Partners Asia (MPA).

Per the study, Southeast Asia Online Video Consumer Insights & Analytics—which uses data from MPA’s AMPD Research Platform—online video consumption was up 3 percent on Q2.

YouTube dominates with a 63 percent share of minutes streamed, having lost some share to TikTok, which had a 26 percent share in the quarter. Premium video had a 10 percent share, up 6 percent. Of this, Netflix is out front at 39 percent of streamed minutes, with Viu, WeTV and iQIYI battling it out for second place. Disney+/Disney+ Hotstar doubled its share following gains in Indonesia and Malaysia and a strong start in Thailand.

In terms of subscriber growth, meanwhile, Disney was out front on the heels of a successful Thai launch. The company ended Q3 with more than 7 million subs in Southeast Asia, with Viu in second place at 6.1 million.

“Thailand and Indonesia are the region’s most competitive premium video markets,” noted MPA analyst Dhivya T. “In Thailand, WeTV edged out Netflix to lead premium video streaming as the popularity of premium and library Chinese dramas soars in the market. In Indonesia, Viu and Netflix compete for number one while Vidio, leveraging local FTA, sports and originals, follows closely behind. Thailand has also emerged as a competitive and dynamic SVOD market. Thai SVOD subscriptions grew 16 percent Q/Q to reach 11.3 million in Q3 2021. Strong mobile and home broadband connectivity, increasing propensity to pay, the presence of local aggregators and the rise of Chinese content, powered by WeTV and iQIYI, along with demand for premium local content online has created new competition and growth for streamers.”