For years, Korean dramas set the pace for what Southeast Asian audiences streamed. That changed in the final quarter of 2025.
According to a report from Media Partners Asia (MPA) and its measurement platform AMPD, released in early 2026, Indonesian content reached viewership parity with Korean content in premium video-on-demand for the first time. Both accounted for 30 percent of viewing hours and reached 47 to 48 percent of users in Indonesia.
That quarterly milestone sits within a separate full-year growth story. The two should not be interpreted as occurring on the same timeline.
By the end of 2025, the combined markets of Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore had pushed the region's premium VOD base beyond 61 million paying accounts. This represented a 19 percent year-on-year increase.
Indonesia alone accounted for most of the new subscriptions and the additional viewing hours recorded over the twelve-month period.
Where the Growth Actually Came From
Indonesia drove most of the region's expansion, with total subscriptions reaching 26.9 million across Netflix, Vidio, Viu, and iQIYI.
Thailand and the Philippines posted steady, incremental growth. Meanwhile, Malaysia and Singapore, already mature markets, generated growth through deeper engagement and stronger monetization rather than new subscriber additions.
Viewership followed the same pattern. Premium VOD viewing across the region grew 8 percent quarter-on-quarter in Q4 2025, reaching 4.2 billion viewing hours.
Netflix recorded 14 percent regional growth during the quarter, while iQIYI grew by 10 percent. In Indonesia, Vidio stood out with 24 percent growth, the fastest among all major platforms covered in the report.
The Platform Pecking Order
Across the five markets tracked, three to four platforms captured roughly 70 percent of subscriptions and engagement. This suggests that the market is consolidating even as it continues to expand.
Here is how the leading platforms ranked in MPA's full-year 2025 analysis:
- Netflix: The regional leader in subscribers, monthly active users (MAUs), and total viewing hours. Its performance was driven by global franchises, Korean flagship titles, and local acquisitions in Indonesia and Thailand.
- Viu: Ranked second across the region for the full year. Its growth was fueled by demand for Korean and Chinese dramas, along with selected local productions.
- Vidio: Indonesia's leading local platform in terms of subscribers and MAUs. It ranked second only to Netflix in viewing hours and revenue share. It also recorded the region's second-highest streamed hours in Q4 2025.
- iQIYI: Regained momentum during the second half of 2025 in Indonesia and Thailand. Its growth was driven by Chinese dramas, live-action titles, micro-dramas, and Thai series.
Why Indonesian Content Is Suddenly Competitive
"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, in the report.
"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."
Multiple Indonesian original productions, led primarily by Vidio, ranked among the quarter's most-watched titles.
Thai content also performed well beyond its domestic market. Thai titles attracted 11.1 million viewers outside Thailand, driven mainly by Netflix-licensed and Netflix original horror films and series.
The report also identified a shift in where people watch, not just what they watch.
Connected TV (CTV) measurement, which AMPD expanded beginning in Q2 2025, showed that an increasing share of total viewing hours was moving to television screens. Viewers also spent longer watching long-form series, films, sports, and family content.
This shift was most evident in Indonesia and the Philippines.
A Market That's Growing & Consolidating at the Same Time
Chinese-language content remained a consistent driver of engagement on freemium and hybrid platforms such as WeTV, iQIYI, and Viu across multiple Southeast Asian markets.
Across the five markets covered by MPA, three to four platforms accounted for roughly 70 percent of subscriptions and engagement in 2025. According to the report, this level of concentration reflects the market's growing maturity.
