APOS conference data finds premium video captures about 8% of viewing screen time in Southeast Asia, spotlighting “microdramas” as engagement driver

Asia’s leading media conference, APOS, presented new findings on how audiences in Southeast Asia watch video, arguing that “there is no primetime anymore” as viewing time fractures across devices and formats. The results were presented in conjunction with streaming industry discussions that focused on monetization as competition increases and audiences sample content rather than commit to traditional scheduling.

The data described premium video as representing about 8 percent of viewers’ screen time, a figure that underscored how much of viewing is captured outside traditional premium catalog viewing patterns. Conference presenters framed the shift as a structural change in how viewers allocate attention, with platforms competing for smaller windows that can be lost quickly without strong hooks early in a program’s run.

Alongside the screen-time figures, the conference highlighted microdramas as a key format for turning “fleeting attention” into paying engagement. The reporting on the conference said microdramas are being used as a mechanism to keep audiences watching long enough to move from discovery to subscription or other revenue actions, reflecting how streaming companies are adapting their program strategies.

The discussion placed additional emphasis on the challenge of retention. If premium video takes a relatively small portion of total screen time, platforms and content owners face pressure to maintain momentum across the user journey, from the first click to continued viewing across episodes. Microdramas, as described in the APOS materials, are tailored for that funnel by using shorter, serialized structures intended to fit modern attention spans.

For industry stakeholders, the immediate implication is that programming and marketing spend may be judged less by whether content is “premium” in the traditional sense and more by how efficiently it captures incremental viewing time. That framing matters for contracts and slate planning, especially for companies deciding which licenses, productions, or co-productions can be scaled across multiple markets in the region.

The APOS presentations also point to a broader cultural change in how scripted entertainment is consumed in Southeast Asia, with serialized microformats taking on a larger role in streaming libraries. While the research focused on audience habits and monetization, the next steps for companies are likely to involve testing how microdramas perform in driving subscription and other revenue outcomes relative to longer-form titles, as the industry continues to redesign primetime assumptions around platform-era viewing.