The Asia-Pacific screen entertainment economy is undergoing a significant shift as digital platforms gear up to capture a larger portion of the projected $175 billion regional revenue by 2030, as highlighted at the APOS summit 2025 opening session.
During the conference in Bali, Media Partners Asia founder Vivek Couto presented data to over 550 industry delegates, emphasizing that the region is entering a new phase marked by increased competition and a changing landscape.
Despite a slowdown in growth, the screen entertainment sector in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to see a $16 billion incremental growth over the next five years, following a $36 billion surge from 2020-2025 during the pandemic boom. This deceleration is primarily attributed to the erosion of traditional TV revenue.
Couto noted that the industry faces a more challenging monetization phase where growth will need to be earned, with every dollar becoming harder to secure. The region is set to witness a proliferation of screens, growing from 4.5 billion to 5.5 billion by 2030, driven by the rapid expansion of connected TV, which is expected to reach 360 million homes by that year.
While smartphones continue to be the largest base for consumption, with numbers expected to rise from 3.6 billion to 4.4 billion, Indonesia leads the momentum in screen growth, followed by the Philippines and Thailand. However, China and India are projected to dominate with 72% of total screens by 2030.
The shift towards digital monetization is evident, with traditional TV’s share of regional revenues expected to decrease from 49% to 41% by 2030. Premium video-on-demand and user-generated content/social video are on the rise, while theatrical revenue remains stagnant.
The creator economy in the region is booming, with over 100 million creators currently and an expected growth to 165 million by 2030. Platforms like Douyin and Bilibili in China are enabling creator monetization, while India’s creator economy is expanding across different languages.
YouTube, as the “new TV,” is projected to grow to $18-19 billion regionally by 2030, with ByteDance’s Douyin and TikTok reaching almost $10 billion. Local players like Foxtel, TVING, Vidio, and TrueID are proving that scale can be achieved outside of global giants.
Premium content investment is becoming more targeted, with streaming-only spending expected to grow from $17 billion to $21 billion by 2030. Streaming platforms are raising prices across tiers globally and locally, with a focus on ARPU expansion.
The summit will feature sessions on streaming strategies, content creation, and regional market dynamics, emphasizing the need for bold reframing, reinvestment, and reimagining in a dynamic market full of opportunities.
