Thailand has emerged as the largest premium subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market in Southeast Asia, according to a new report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) presented during the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF).
Key takeaways
- Thailand has become Southeast Asia’s largest premium SVOD market, driven by rapid growth in streaming and digital content consumption.
- The country’s media and entertainment sector is valued at $1.4 billion, with animation and foreign film production emerging as major revenue contributors.
- Government incentives, including a 30% cash rebate, have fueled international investment, transforming Thailand into a regional hub for content creation and production.
The country’s rapid rise underscores its growing influence as a regional entertainment hub fueled by strong government incentives, international investment, and an expanding creative ecosystem.
Presenting the findings, Vivek Couto, MPA’s Executive Director and Co-founder, revealed that Thailand’s combined film, television, animation, and streaming sectors are now valued at approximately $1.4 billion.
Within this, the animation industry has become a significant contributor, generating an estimated $170 million annually. Meanwhile, Thailand continues to strengthen its position as the region’s most successful foreign film production center, attracting more than $100 million in annual international production spending.
Couto emphasized that policy support has been pivotal to this growth trajectory. “Government support, including a 30% cash rebate scheme, has been very important in contributing to the animation sector’s expansion,” he said. “It’s definitely strengthened the ecosystem and attracted substantial international investment.”
The cash rebate scheme, introduced as part of Thailand’s long-term strategy to position itself as a creative and production hub, has helped lure major international studios and streaming platforms. The initiative offers rebates on qualifying local production expenditures, significantly improving Thailand’s competitiveness against regional players such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
Beyond financial incentives, Thailand has benefited from a surge in global streaming demand, with platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video investing heavily in original Thai content. The country’s audiences are among the most engaged in Asia, with a high willingness to pay for premium content. This has helped establish Thailand as the region’s top SVOD market in both revenue and subscriber growth.
Couto also highlighted the country’s robust creative infrastructure, skilled production workforce, and rapidly advancing post-production and animation capabilities as key enablers of sustained growth. He noted that Thailand’s industry has evolved from a service destination for foreign productions into a content creation powerhouse exporting original films and series across Asia and beyond.
As the global appetite for Asian storytelling continues to rise, Thailand’s combination of incentive-driven policies, strong domestic demand, and international collaboration positions it to play an increasingly influential role in shaping Southeast Asia’s entertainment future.
