Asia Attention

• Venture capitalists in Southeast Asia are reducing funding for consumer startups as investment focus shifts heavily toward artificial intelligence. • Struggling firms are seeking alternative financing or pivoting business models, such as livestreaming platform Kumu launching a paid data annotation service. • The trend is highlighted by significant market exits, including a coffee chain that shuttered operations in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea in 2023.

• Premium VOD users in Southeast Asia spend only 8% of their digital time watching premium content, with the majority dedicated to social media, messaging, gaming, and short-form video. • Media expert Dhivya highlights a shift in viewing habits, stating that "there's no primetime anymore" as second-screen usage rewires regional attention spans. • Local stories are currently outperforming Korean dramas in markets with high content investment, specifically Indonesia and Thailand.

• Video-on-Demand (VOD) users in Southeast Asia spend only 8% of their digital time on premium content, with the vast majority dedicated to social media, messaging, gaming, and short-form video. • In markets with significant content investment, such as Indonesia and Thailand, local stories are currently outperforming popular Korean dramas. • Conversely, Korean content and other international imports continue to hold a larger market share in the Philippines and Malaysia.