Report: South Korea, Japan SVoD subs engage heavily with local content
April 28, 2026
Digital i has released its Riding Netflix’s Korean Wave report which explores key audience and content trends from Netflix in South Korea, Japan and Australia during 2025.
The report analyses the continuing international power of the ‘K-wave’ on the platform, the rapid adoption of ad-supported tiers in these countries, and the content driving highest engagement.
Digital i’s data reveals a significant cultural divergence within the APAC region. While Australia remains a stronghold for Western content, Japanese and South Korean audiences are increasingly turning toward domestic stories on Netflix.
This shift is not merely cultural; it is being accelerated by new platform economics, as viewers in these regions rapidly migrate to lower-cost, ad-supported tiers to access high-profile local ‘appointment’ viewing.
Key takeaways include:
- In Japan and South Korea, the number of active subscribers on ad-supported plans rose above 50 per cent in both countries between 2024 and 2025.
- Local programming accounted for less than 4 per cent of viewing time on Netflix in Australia in 2025.
- South Korean and Japanese subscribers engage heavily with local content, while Australia’s highest-reaching titles are dominated by US imports.
- Outside of its home market, South Korean content on Netflix generated 10 billion hours of viewing in 18 major international markets in 2025.
- More than 15 per cent (1.5 billion hours) of that viewing was to Squid Game, with the series acting as significant sign-up driver for viewers.
“The 2025 data underscores the incredible resonance of local content in East Asia,” commented Matt Ross, Chief Analytics Officer at Digital i. “While a global phenomenon like Squid Game can transcend borders to drive sign-ups in every market, the day-to-day engagement in Japan and South Korea is firmly rooted in home-grown programming. We are seeing a powerful synergy where ad-supported tiers lower the barrier to entry, allowing massive local hits to generate substantial viewing spikes. For streamers, the message is clear: to win in these markets, you must speak the local language – both culturally and economically.”