Southeast Asia’s premium VoD market delivered a strong acceleration in 2025, with subscriber growth rebounding sharply, connected TV (CTV) emerging as a material driver of engagement, and local content reaching a new inflection point across the region, according to Media Partners Asia (MPA) and its proprietary measurement platform AMPD.

Premium VoD subscriptions across Southeast Asia grew 19 per cent year-on-year in CY 2025, reaching more than 61 million paid subscriptions across Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. Growth was led by Indonesia, which accounted for a disproportionate share of new subscribers and viewing hours, while Thailand and the Philippines delivered steady incremental expansion. Malaysia and Singapore remained mature, with growth increasingly driven by engagement and monetisation rather than net adds.

Premium VoD viewership across Southeast Asia grew 8 per cent Q/Q in Q4 2025 to 4.2 billion hours, with strong double-digit momentum from Netflix (+14 per cent) and iQIYI (+10 per cent) regionally, and a standout acceleration from Vidio in Indonesia (+24 per cent).

Indonesia was the defining market for premium streaming in 2025. Total subscriptions rose to 26.9 million, supported by sustained momentum from Netflix, Vidio, Viu and iQIYI.

Critically, Q4 2025 marked the first time local Indonesian content reached parity with Korean content in premium VoD viewership at 30 per cent apiece and reach at 47 per cent–48 per cent of users, underscoring a structural shift in content consumption. Multiple local originals ranked among the most-watched titles of the quarter, driven by Vidio, signalling the growing commercial strength of domestic storytelling in driving acquisition and engagement.

Netflix retained clear leadership across Southeast Asia in subscribers, MAUs and total viewing hours, anchored by global franchises, Korean tentpoles and local acquisitions in Indonesia and Thailand. Viu ranked second regionally on a CY 2025 basis across subscribers, MAUs and engagement, supported by sustained demand for Korean and Chinese dramas and selective local programming. Vidio remained the leading local platform in Indonesia by subscribers and MAUs and the second largest after Netflix in terms of viewership and revenue share, driven by deepening slate of local originals and sports which helped the platform deliver the second highest streamed hours in SEA after Netflix in Q4. iQIYI re-accelerated subscriber and viewership in the second half of the year, particularly in Indonesia and Thailand, driven by long form Chinese dramas and live action as well as Chinese micro dramas and Thai dramas.

“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.”

Thai titles led cross-border travelability in Southeast Asia, attracting 11.1 million viewers outside Thailand. Performance was driven primarily by Netflix-licensed and original horror films and series.

The expansion of CTV measurement from Q2 2025 revealed a step-change in viewing behaviour across Southeast Asia. While mobile remains the primary access point, CTV is now contributing a growing share of total viewing hours, higher time spent per user, and deeper engagement with long-form series, films, sports, and family viewing.

CTV-driven growth was most pronounced in Indonesia and the Philippines, reinforcing the importance of household-level viewing and premium screen experiences as the category matures.

Across markets, three to four platforms captured roughly 70 per cent of subscriptions and engagement, reflecting increasing concentration as the category scales.

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