U.S., Korean Content Drives Netflix Usage Across AsiaPac

In nine AsiaPac markets, U.S. and Korean content accounted for 70 percent of Netflix’s streamed minutes in the third quarter, according to new data from Media Partners Asia (MPA).

MPA’s AMPD platform tracks demand for content in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan.

“Our analysis indicates that U.S., Korean and Japanese content continued to drive subscriber growth and engagement for Netflix in Q3 2021,” said MPA analyst Dhivya T in the report, Netflix in the Asia Pacific: The Scalability of Local Content. “Korean and Thai dramas demonstrated strong travelability, with significant share of streaming generated outside the home country. The strength of key Korean and U.S. originals released in late Q3 like Squid Game and Sex Education is expected to carry into Q4, along with returning U.S. and international hits like You season three and Money Heist season five. As we move into 2022, we expect Korean dramas and a new slate of Japanese anime, dramas and movies to play a major role in the region, while emerging regional interest in Thai series and movies is likely to attract further investment from Netflix.”

U.S. content is the single largest consumed category on Netflix in Australia. In South Korea, local content drives about 55 percent of consumption, led by acquired dramas from Netflix’s output deals. Anime drives almost half of Netflix’s consumption in Japan. In Southeast Asia, U.S. and Korean series drove equal levels of consumption, with Thai series beginning to make an impact.

Squid Game tops MPA’s rankings of streamed titles with travelability impact in Q3, followed by the other Korean series Nevertheless, Hospital Playlist, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and D.P. Other shows on the chart include the American series Sex/Life, Sex Education, Lucifer, Kate and The Kissing Booth; Spain’s Money Heist, Thailand’s Girl From Nowhere, Bangkok Breaking and Deep; and Korea’s Kingdom: Ashin of the North.