In 2025, breakout platforms have less influence on online entertainment than they had in the past, and online entertainment is more regionally diverse in terms of habits, media forms, and consumption patterns. Streaming continues to be a core channel while other forms, such as podcasts, short-form video, are seeing strong growth – depending on the source. The countries are not only following the trends but also setting their own trends, be it access, content, and culture.
Southeast Asia: The Mobile Gaming Market Takes Over
In Southeast Asia, mobile gaming is already one of the main digital uses. The region saw more than 4.2 billion mobile game downloads in the first half of 2024 alone, with countries such as Indonesia contributing more than 40% of that number. This sector has grown much faster than console or PC gaming, as mobile first design and affordable smartphones have become accessible to a much larger audience.
Thanks to such developments, another type of online entertainment has been slowly gaining ground: competitive card formats. Many of these games are based on traditional poker games and can be played on various regulated online platforms. Players from countries such as the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia are now able to actively participate in tournaments and prize-based rooms that were previously exclusive to physical casinos.
In particular, Malaysia has witnessed a rise in participation in online platforms providing organized tournaments and regional player formats. Today, there are some of the best poker sites in the Malaysia where players can compete against each other in real-time events with ranked leaderboards and different prize pools.
This shift enables fans of card games to play against each other in a competitive way without having to be in a certain venue or location.
East Asia: Streaming Habits Affected by Cultural Exports
Countries in East Asia such as South Korea and Japan have outgrown their status as minor content markets. They are now the ones who dictate the trends that the world is following. South Korea’s dramas have been a significant contributor to this change.
Due to the popularity of shows like Squid Game, The Glory, and All of Us Are Dead, which attracted millions of international viewers, they remained in the global charts for weeks on Netflix.
Japan’s impact has taken a different but no less strong path. That’s why its anime industry continues to provide international audiences with series such as Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece and Demon Slayer, among many others.
These titles are prime time on both regional and global streaming platforms with many being exclusive launches and having dubbing opportunities in numerous languages. Their success is not limited to animation enthusiasts but to casual viewers who are looking for something unusual compared to mainstream western titles.
Europe: Genre-Based Viewing Guides Streaming Options
Streaming continues to be a strong market in Europe, but what deserves attention are the effects of genre on demand. According to Parrot Analytics, the most watched genres among viewers in the continent are action and adventure, science fiction, and crime dramas. These genre preferences influence production budgets and cross-border licensing agreements.
In the UK, subscription video on demand (SVoD) platforms generated just under £4bn in 2023, driven in part by price increases and international content. But audience growth has levelled off, which is what has happened in North America.
Meanwhile, podcast listening and music streaming continues to remain stable with listeners aged 19 and up, while new music spending is up 10% year-over-year. International series that are often in English, Korean, or Spanish hold strong demand, especially among viewers, which still makes a compelling argument for countries like France and Germany to continue investing in local language content.
Europe’s entertainment market is now shaped by a mix of national preferences and global streaming patterns.
North America: Streaming Matures, Short Form Surges
The US market for streaming has matured, where the majority of households are already using a streaming service, while new subscribers are not increasing as quickly as they were. Short-form video, on the other hand, continues to expand.
Regarding the types of content, nearly 76% of U.S. adults said they watched platforms like YouTube or TikTok, reflecting the superiority of mobile-friendly formats over the long-form content. Another field in which movement is being developed is audio content.
The increase has been most significant from listeners aged over 54, where listening rates have been increasing at a steady rate over five years. But, paid music streaming continues to grow, and has overtaken recorded music revenue in the U.S.
That shift shows how entertainment formats which previously were physical or location-based move into online spaces, which are supported by regional regulations, payment methods and mobile access. It also indicates that the entertainment world is not limited only to streaming and games, but is growing in new directions.
