“Indonesia continues to be an arena for competition and scale for local, regional and global streamers, with growing pressure on incumbents to stand out in brand, content, marketing and bundling in order to impact time and wallet share. Vidio and Disney+ Hotstar were stand-outs in the first quarter, growing their share of premium video consumption to 28% and 15% respectively, up from 19% and 10% in the fourth quarter of 2021, to occupy the top two spots, ahead of WeTV, Netflix and Viu. Both platforms have benefited from new local original series and marketing, while Disney’s K-dramas and Vidio’s sports offering also had impact during the quarter,”

The region is going to continue to see an increase in streaming services, with Dhivya adding:

“We expect premium video competition to intensify further later this year as entrants like Amazon Prime Video land and incumbents continue to invest in local content, partnerships, marketing and branding to win customers.”

Netflix currently has a 24% share of the subscriptions in the Southeast Asia region, with Tencent Video’s international platform, WeTV, holding 22%.

Media Partners Asia’s executive director Vivek Couto says.

“Subscriber growth is likely to moderate as sluggish macroeconomic conditions set in across Southeast Asia.  Inflationary pressures could impact consumer wallets with affordability, while new content cadence and hits, and ease of access though telco and direct retail bundles are likely to be the key to driving customer acquisition and limiting churn.”

Original content is a major key in attracting new subscribers, especially original Korean dramas, which is why Disney has heavily invested in shows like “Snowdrop” and “The Grid”.   Vivek Couto added:

“Local series, particularly in Indonesia and Thailand, have proven use-cases in customer acquisition and retention. Along with local, U.S. and Korean content and live sports are expected to continue to drive premium customer demand. The expansion of Amazon Prime Video in 2H 2022 is also set to intensify competition, along with Disney+ Hotstar’s launch in the Philippines”