Streaming and Microdramas Scramble Viewer Habits in Southeast Asia: “There Is No Primetime Anymore”

New data from Media Partners Asia’s ampd reveals that premium video accounts for only 8 percent of total screen time in Southeast Asia, as consumers shift toward a grazing habit across multiple platforms. Speaking at the APOS conference, insights head Dhivya T. explained that traditional primetime has disappeared in favor of a mix of social media, messaging, and emerging mobile-first microdramas. This shift highlights a critical need for streamers to integrate fast-attention formats to capture and monetize audiences who increasingly use a second screen even while watching premium content.

According to ampd data presented at the APOS conference in Bali, premium video-on-demand (VOD) commands a strikingly small 8 percent share of the five hours Southeast Asians spend daily on mobile leisure. Even when including television screens, premium content viewing averages only about one hour per day, a figure that remains flat at 7 to 8 percent regardless of the hour. Dhivya T., head of insights at ampd, noted that the concept of primetime has effectively vanished as consumers move fluidly between social media, messaging, and video apps throughout the day. Furthermore, ampd’s research indicates that one-third of premium sessions involve a second screen, where users operate a mobile device simultaneously with their television, creating a stacked viewing experience of committed and restless screens.

The report distinguishes between fast attention—algorithm-driven content like social media and short videos—and slow attention, which represents the intentional, lean-back viewing of premium titles. While fast attention wins the most minutes, slow attention wins the deepest engagement; however, Dhivya argued that brands and audiences are now built in the fast world before being banked on premium platforms. This has led to the rise of microdramas, a format that integrates serialized storytelling and cliffhangers into mobile-first, pay-per-episode models. By building and charging audiences within the same fast-attention layer, microdramas collapse the funnel, serving as a new entry point for premium content and allowing streamers to earn revenue earlier in the consumer journey.

Market-specific data shows that local content is outperforming Korean imports in regions with established industries, such as Indonesia and Thailand, while Korean and U.S. fare remains dominant in Malaysia and the Philippines. Thai content has proven to be the most successful regional export, reaching 6.4 million viewers across Southeast Asia with genres ranging from crime thrillers to boys-love romances. Success stories like Netflix’s Thai film My Dearest Assassin and Indonesian horror hits like KKN di Desa Penari demonstrate how viral social media threads and influencer reach can drive premium success. Dhivya emphasized that winning the cultural conversation in the fast-attention layer is now essential for building the deeper engagement required for long-term monetization in the streaming sector.