According to the company, iQIYI International has recorded nearly 2x growth in monthly active users (MAU) and around a 5x increase in paid subscribers since its relaunch in the country. Data from Media Partners Asia (MPA) also shows the platform has become the fourth-largest OTT service in Indonesia by MAU.

The platform’s growth has been supported by sustained demand for Asian content, particularly Chinese dramas. MPA notes that Chinese content now ranks fourth in reach and engagement across Southeast Asia and is among the fastest-growing categories in the region. Both long-form series and short-form microdramas have contributed to more consistent viewership and repeat usage.

To extend engagement beyond the platform, iQIYI International recently held fan events in Jakarta featuring actors Chen Zheyuan and Esther Yu, linked to popular titles such as Speed and Love and Fated Hearts. The events were part of efforts to deepen audience connection and support subscriber growth through offline engagement.

At the same time, the company is expanding its local presence through partnerships and content investment. It has strengthened distribution through collaborations with Telkomsel and Vision+, aimed at improving accessibility and reaching new user segments across the country.

On the content side, iQIYI International is developing its first slate of Indonesian originals with local production partners, with releases expected in 2026. This follows MPA data showing Indonesian originals now account for around 30% of premium video-on-demand viewership, on par with Korean dramas.

The growth comes as Indonesia’s streaming market continues to expand. MPA reports that paid streaming subscribers in the country grew 23% in 2025, contributing significantly to a regional total of more than 61 million subscribers across Southeast Asia.

Dinesh Ratnam, senior managing director of Southeast Asia at iQIYI, said, “Indonesia is a huge market with tremendous potential for streaming. We’ve seen a growing willingness to pay, a highly engaged fan community, and rising interest in both Chinese and local content. We will continue to invest in this market by working with like-minded partners to bring the best in Asian entertainment to our users. We are also excited to launch our first slate of Indonesian local originals.”

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In December 2025, Netflix signed a definitive agreement to acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO, and HBO Max, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $82.7 billion.

“We believe that we would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros.’ iconic brands, and that our deal would have grown the entertainment industry while preserving and creating more production jobs in the United States,” Netflix said in an announcement. 

The company added, “This transaction was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price.”

Shortly after Netflix’s agreement, Paramount launched a hostile all-cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery at $30 per share, valuing the company at $108.4 billion. 

Despite the higher offer, Warner Bros.’ board reportedly expressed concerns about financing and regulatory risk and indicated it would likely recommend Netflix’s deal as the more certain and strategically aligned transaction.

Netflix further added, “Our business is healthy, strong and growing organically, powered by our slate and best-in-class streaming service. We will continue to do what we’ve done for more than 20 years as a public company: delight our members, profitably grow our business, and drive long-term shareholder value.”

The decision marks a key moment in the ongoing consolidation of the entertainment industry, as Netflix prioritises strategic fit and long-term value over headline price in a highly competitive streaming market.

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According to the Los Angeles Times, concerns escalated after a fake video depicting Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in a fight scene went viral, triggering a wave of AI-generated clips created using Seedance 2.0.

The tool is capable of producing highly realistic videos from simple prompts, including scenes resembling major Hollywood films and portrayals of well-known actors. Users began generating content based on popular franchises such as “Game of Thrones”, “Stranger Things”, and “Bridgerton”, as well as mashups featuring characters like Wolverine and Superman or crossovers involving Transformers and Godzilla — prompting alarm among rights holders.

Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, and Disney have since issued separate cease-and-desist letters alleging unauthorised reproduction of their copyrighted intellectual property.

As reported by Business Insider, Netflix sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, calling Seedance “a high-speed piracy engine” and demanding the removal of any content infringing on its intellectual property. The letter warned that the streamer would pursue immediate litigation if ByteDance did not comply.

“The use of copyrighted works to create a competing commercial product, especially one that regurgitates the original, is not protected by fair use,” Netflix’s litigation director wrote, as quoted by Business Insider.

Netflix also urged ByteDance to stop generating AI videos resembling its IP, remove existing infringing videos, and exclude its content from Seedance’s training datasets.

Disney and Paramount were the first to formally challenge ByteDance, sending cease-and-desist letters late last week. 

According to the Los Angeles Times, Disney accused ByteDance of loading Seedance “with a pirated library of Disney’s copyrighted characters from Star Wars, Marvel, and other Disney franchises.”

The move is notable given Disney’s recent three-year licensing agreement signed in December to bring characters from its portfolio to Sora, OpenAI’s short-form generative AI video platform.

The Walt Disney Company has confirmed to MARKETECH APAC regarding the cease-and-desist letter they have sent but have declined to comment further on the subject.

Warner Bros. Discovery also cited what it described as “blatant infringement”, pointing to AI-generated content featuring characters from the “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings” franchises, as well as superheroes such as Batman. The studio argued that the AI system appeared to have been trained on Warner Bros. material without authorisation.

“But the users are not the ones at the root cause of the infringement; they are merely building on the foundation of infringement already laid by ByteDance, as Seedance comes pre-loaded with Warner Bros. Discovery’s copyrighted characters. That was a deliberate design choice by ByteDance,” wrote the studios’ legal executive vice president, Wayne Smith, per the Los Angeles Times.

In a separate report from CNBC, ByteDance said it would strengthen safeguards on the AI video tool following complaints from entertainment companies.

“ByteDance respects intellectual property rights, and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0,” a company spokesperson said in a statement shared with CNBC.

“We are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorised use of intellectual property and likeness by users,” the spokesperson added.

The dispute highlights intensifying tensions between entertainment studios and generative AI platforms, as media companies shift from public criticism to formal legal action in an effort to protect their intellectual property.

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The multi-year deal marks an industry first for Pay-1 distribution and will roll out gradually from later this year as territory rights become available, with full global availability expected in early 2029.

Netflix will also license select Sony Pictures Entertainment feature film and television library titles as part of the agreement. 

The streamer already holds Pay-1 rights to Sony films in several territories, including the U.S., Germany, and Southeast Asia, where titles such as Uncharted, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, It Ends With Us, Anyone But You, and Venom: The Last Dance have performed strongly.

“Our members all over the world love movies and giving them exclusive access to Sony’s much loved films adds incredible value to their subscriptions,” said Lauren Smith, vice president of Licensing and Programming Strategy at Netflix. 

Smith added, “Sony’s impressive slate of iconic film franchises like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and originals like Anyone But You have been popular with our U.S. audience and now we’re excited to expand that offering to our members all around the world.”

“Our partnership with Netflix has always been incredibly valuable,” said Paul Littmann, EVP of Global Distribution, Sony Pictures Television.

“This new Pay-1 deal takes that partnership to the next level and reinforces the enduring appeal of our theatrical releases to Netflix’s global audience. It also further underscores the strength of our independence and unique ability to create meaningful opportunities that benefit our creative stakeholders, consumers, and world-class partners,” Littman underscored.

Early titles set to stream under the new agreement include The Nightingale, starring Dakota and Elle Fanning; Sony Pictures Animation’s Buds; Nintendo’s live-action The Legend of Zelda; Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse; and Sam Mendes’ quartet of Beatles films.

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Under the partnership, Nativex will provide end-to-end support across strategy, planning, activation and optimisation for Netflix Ads. 

Advertisers will be able to deploy standard pre-roll and mid-roll formats alongside Pause Ads, QR-enabled creative and single-title sponsorships around popular series, films and live events, supporting full-funnel campaigns that combine brand impact with measurable outcomes.

Netflix’s ad-supported plan reaches more than 190 million monthly active viewers across priority markets and features a lighter ad load, curated ad breaks and content-driven targeting designed to maximise attention. 

According to Netflix Ads research, campaigns on the platform deliver higher active attention and stronger brand recall than many digital and TV channels, offering advertisers incremental reach as audiences continue to move away from linear television.

“Streaming has become the new prime time for our clients, and Netflix sits right at the centre of that shift,” said Cheryl Huang, partner at Nativex. 

Huang underscored, “By partnering with Netflix, we can help brands tell richer stories in a premium environment, while using Nativex’s data, creative and optimisation capabilities to turn that attention into tangible business results. This is a major step forward in our mission to connect advertisers with audiences who are truly immersed in great content.”

Through the collaboration, brands can extend reach among hard-to-access streaming audiences, leverage Netflix’s first-party and content-based targeting signals, and test interactive formats that enable more engaging and shoppable experiences. 

Netflix Ads solutions will be available immediately to Nativex advertisers across APAC, North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and Australia, supported by joint teams focused on test-and-learn programmes and scalable best-practice frameworks.

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Janice Lee, CEO of Viu and managing director of PCCW Media Group, said, “We are thrilled to add a new facet to our service with the launch of Viu Shorts. This new feature brings viewers fast-paced storytelling in a 1–3 minute episodic format, perfectly complementing Viu’s extensive offering of premium long-form series and movies. 

Janice added, “With these bite-sized dramas now part of our offering, we aim to engage our audience according to their content preferences and provide enjoyable viewing for every moment.”

Moreover, Viu Shorts offers a multi-lingual and multi-genre library of micro-dramas in Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Indonesian, spanning genres such as romance, thriller, variety, and fantasy, all with subtitles in local languages. 

The vertical video section is also optimised for mobile and integrated into the Viu app, featuring a new bottom navigation bar that allows users to switch easily between short-form content and standard-length series and movies. The service operates on a freemium model, with all Viu users able to access Viu Shorts. With this, subscribers can use unlimited viewing of the full library, and free users are able to watch selected titles; advertisement frequency varies by subscription tier. 

To maintain a steady stream of content, Viu has partnered with micro-drama distributors Rising Joy and KT Studiogenie, as well as producers including China Huace, 1001 Frames, and Youhug Media.

Furthermore, the launch of Viu Shorts is part of Viu’s mobile-first strategy, responding to the increasing demand for short-form, on-the-go entertainment while maintaining the premium quality associated with the service.

The updated Viu app, including the new Shorts section, is available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

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The experience is part of Netflix’s ‘Discover Your Future’ campaign, which blends a hint of cosmic magic with viewers’ watchlists. Users can access a personalised reading through Netflix’s official companion website “Netflix Tudum”.

The reading begins with a choice among three tarot decks, followed by three questions about where they plan to focus their energy this year—whether in career, love, adventure, or other personal pursuits.

Based on these choices, the cards reveal a personal reading through three cards, each offering a glimpse of what’s ahead in 2026. Each card pairs a fortune with a Netflix show or movie that reflects that path, creating a unique mix of entertainment and insight.

Viewers might find themselves exploring new adventures like Monkey D. Luffy in the next season of ONE PIECE or uncovering romance in the style of Bridgerton. Each reading also identifies the archetype users are channelling for the year, such as The Treasure Hunter or The Wild Card, along with other surprises hidden in the deck.

The tarot cards also feature familiar Arcana symbols for tarot enthusiasts in the top right corner, while custom icons in the top left highlight the Netflix titles they represent.

Designed for sharing, the experience allows users to post their results on social media or compare readings with friends and family, revealing unexpected overlaps and connections.

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According to Cord Cutters News, the update was delivered quietly through an in-player notification that appeared in place of a scheduled advertisement. The message informed users that the free tier will be removed on December 31, 2025.

Beginning January 1, 2026, all content on Crunchyroll will require a paid subscription. The platform’s current pricing remains unchanged for now, and its annual plans — which offer slight savings — are also unaffected. However, Crunchyroll has not confirmed whether these rates will stay in place once advertising revenue from the free tier is eliminated.

The end of the free tier marks another shift in Crunchyroll’s approach to access and monetisation. The service previously removed free simulcast viewing in 2022 and last year increased prices for its Mega and Ultimate plans by US$1–US$2 per month.

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The offer values WBD at an enterprise value of US$108.4 billion, significantly above Netflix’s US$27.75-per-share cash-and-stock proposal.

The bid, filed directly to shareholders after 12 weeks of unsuccessful engagement with WBD’s board, covers the entire company, including its global networks division. 

Paramount said its approach offers more certainty, greater value and a faster path to completion than the Netflix deal, which remains subject to the planned spin-off of WBD’s networks business and extensive regulatory review.

David Ellison, Paramount’s chairman and chief executive, said, “WBD shareholders deserve an opportunity to consider our superior all-cash offer for their shares in the entire company. Our public offer, which is on the same terms we provided to the Warner Bros. Discovery Board of Directors in private, provides superior value, and a more certain and quicker path to completion.”

Paramount argued that Netflix’s proposal relies on “an unrealistic assumption” that its combination with WBD can withstand multi-jurisdictional scrutiny, adding that the structure exposes shareholders to volatile future trading values. 

Paramount also said it is confident of securing swift regulatory clearance and has secured US$54 billion in debt commitments alongside new equity backing.

The Netflix–WBD agreement, which values the company at US$82.7 billion excluding the network’s spin-off, would unite Netflix’s global scale with Warner Bros.’ library of franchises and classics. 

Paramount’s tender offer expires on January 8, 2026 unless extended, setting up a direct contest between shareholders’ preference for a higher cash premium and WBD’s existing commitment to Netflix’s signed agreement.

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The campaign’s visual identity takes inspiration from analogue mixtapes, reimagining a year of listening as a modern “visual mixtape” for more than 700 million users. 

Jeremy Wirth, Spotify’s global executive creative director, described, “For me, 2025 Wrapped captures that tension between chaos and clarity. Every gradient and texture reflects that unpredictable mix of emotion and rhythm that makes listening so personal. It’s our most expressive Wrapped yet, and I love that it feels stripped down with the reduced colour palette and bold use of images to feel simple and super modern.”

Wrapped will appear across more than 30 markets, featuring immersive installations, artist integrations and live experiences. 

Highlights include a giant paw installation for Lady Gaga on Copacabana Beach, an 800-foot cascade of red hair in New York’s Union Square celebrating Chappell Roan, and a Ferrari parade in Paris culminating in a top-fan performance by GIMS.

Marc Hazan, Spotify’s senior vice president of global marketing & partnerships, said, “2025 Wrapped is our most action-packed release yet. We’re bringing back the fan-favourite features you know and love, and adding bold new experiences that spotlight the way you listened this year.” 

Hazan highlighted, “And for the first time ever, meet Wrapped Party, your chance to dive into Wrapped with friends and family and relive the moments that defined your year. Plus, we’re rolling out 50 fan destinations worldwide, giving listeners a place to come together, celebrate their year in music, and be part of something truly global.”

Spotify is also spotlighting its partnership with FC Barcelona through Wrapped-themed billboards and a special Wrapped Party where players including Jules Koundé, Marcus Rashford, Pedri, Aitana Bonmatí, and Alexia share their listening habits with fans.

The 2025 campaign brings Spotify’s annual storytelling from screens to streets, celebrating the music and moments that defined the year.

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