iWorld
AVIA releases Indonesia study on the untapped opportunity of premium OTT services for advertisers
Mumbai: The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) has released a study to understand the usage of different video services in Indonesia and consumer attitudes towards them. The study looked at video across social media, user-generated content (UGC), linear TV, messaging services and premium OTT. This is a follow-up to its study on Premium OTT – Building its Rightful Place in the Digital Market, which was first released in September 2022 and focused on the Singapore market.
Amongst Indonesian consumers, premium OTT is viewed as having the highest quality content. 75 per cent of users of premium OTT services (such as Netflix, Vidio, Viu and WeTV) said it offered the best quality content, higher than users of any other category of video. Of all 24 video platforms studied, five of the top seven services ranked as offering the highest quality content were premium OTT.
Usage of premium OTT is also associated with the most positive emotions. When asked about feelings after watching an hour of different types of content, TV series and movies significantly outscored user generated content and social media in eliciting happiness and amusement.
While premium OTT is still at an earlier stage of development in Indonesia than free UGC and social media services like YouTube and TikTok, it is clear that those who use premium OTT value it more. When asked what video services they would first be prepared to forego, only one in the top ten services was premium OTT, and the top 4 were all social media or UGC services.
“We believe the power and opportunity of premium OTT is hugely significant and offers a real and relatively untapped opportunity for advertisers in Indonesia. The proven quality of the environment, the stickiness of the content and the positive emotions created by it are critical for advertisers, and this study clearly demonstrates that. Given the dominance and high penetration of UGC and social media video services in Indonesia, the fact that this smaller but growing category of premium OTT performed so well in these categories is quite remarkable. We believe advertisers need to sit up and take note,” said AVIA CEO Louis Boswell.
The full Indonesia study research deck and methodology can be found here. This study continues to build on a regional research project started with a two part study conducted in Singapore in 2022 and 2023.
AVIA thanks its members Magnite, PubMatic and The Trade Desk for supporting the Indonesia research.
eNews
Piyush Thakur steps down as Inshorts’ chief revenue officer
Former vice president and cro says exit marks a new chapter after close to a decade of building revenue and partnerships at Inshorts Group.
NOIDA: Piyush Thakur has stepped away from Inshorts Group after nearly 10 years with the company, marking the end of a long tenure that culminated in his role as chief revenue officer.
In a farewell note, Thakur said he was “turning a new page” after almost a decade at Inshorts, calling it one of the hardest professional decisions he has made. He added that his exit was not driven by uncertainty about the future, but by reflection on a long association with the company.
Thakur joined Inshorts in October 2016 as vice president and spent around seven years in the role before being elevated to chief revenue officer in April 2024, a position he held until April 2026.
He said his tenure was defined by “thousands of mornings, late nights, product debates and breakthrough moments”, as the company evolved into a large-scale digital news platform used by millions.
In his note, Thakur emphasised that Inshorts’ growth was a collective effort across teams, adding that engineers, designers, sales teams and customer support staff all contributed to building the platform. He said the company’s success was not the result of individuals but of “everyone who stayed, passed through, and left their mark”.
Before Inshorts, Thakur worked across several digital media and business development roles. At ESPN, he served as senior regional manager from October 2015 to October 2016, focusing on growth initiatives, strategic opportunities and video distribution.
At Times Internet, he worked for nearly three years, including as head of business development from April 2015 to September 2015 and chief manager from January 2013 to March 2015. His responsibilities included monetisation of mobile platforms, managing media and developer partnerships, and driving revenue across digital properties such as The Times of India and The Economic Times.
Earlier, he worked at Brandmovers as head of business development from June 2012 to June 2013, handling digital, mobile and social media marketing solutions, client development and strategic consulting. During this period, he also worked on advertising revenue, brand strategy and CRM-based solutions.
At Inshorts, Thakur’s role focused on revenue strategy, mobile and media partnerships, and growth initiatives across platforms. His profile highlights experience in mobile product management, digital business models, partner ecosystems and revenue expansion in high-growth environments.
