Executives from Netflix, Prime Video, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery converged at APOS 2026 in Bali this week with a shared conviction: Asian IP and local storytelling are no longer regional plays but the streaming industry’s most valuable global assets.
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During the session “Asia’s Streaming Advantage: Growth, Profitability and What’s Next,” Netflix VP of content for APAC (ex-India) Minyoung Kim, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios VP for APAC and ANZ Gaurav Gandhi, Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific senior VP and general manager of direct-to-consumer Tony Zameczkowski and Warner Bros. Discovery president APAC James Gibbons mapped out how each platform is navigating an increasingly competitive landscape across the region.
For Netflix, local content continues to serve as the foundation of its APAC strategy. “I always consider myself and my team as portfolio managers,” said Kim, pointing to successful investments in Korea, Japan and India. While local productions remain critical for building audiences, she noted that viewers across Asia have become increasingly receptive to international content and global franchises.
“Asia is a big content hub,” Gandhi added, highlighting Prime Video’s efforts to tailor its strategy to different markets. In Japan, where many Prime Video users come from traditional television backgrounds, the platform has expanded into areas such as live sports. In India, consumer viewing habits continue to shape investment decisions, with the company focusing on balancing scale with long-term sustainability.
Zameczkowski said that high-quality, talent-driven storytelling remains the industry’s most reliable growth engine. He also emphasized the importance of strategic partnerships, citing Disney’s collaboration with Hulu Japan as well as ESPN’s distribution through Disney+ in markets including Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s James Gibbons pointed to the enduring power of established franchises, citing “Harry Potter” as an example of how strong fan communities can drive value across multiple platforms and formats.
“When you have a great fan base, they become the center of the equation,” Gibbons said, noting that markets such as Japan and China continue to demonstrate the commercial power of fandom-driven content.
Asked which content categories are most likely to travel globally in the coming years, several executives highlighted Japanese live-action adaptations and Asian IP. Kim predicted that Japanese live-action productions and Thai content are poised for broader international success, while Zameczkowski echoed the growing global appeal of Japanese IP.
Gandhi said drama remains the genre most likely to cross borders and reach mainstream audiences, adding that the value of IP continues to grow in an increasingly competitive streaming market.
Gibbons, meanwhile, pointed to vertical-format storytelling as a trend that could reshape audience behavior in the coming years.