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Unfolding Stories
Inside Indonesia’s love for digital subscriptions and premium accounts
Despite the threat of a recession, the demand for digital subscriptions in Indonesia is not dying down.
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Entertainment forever: Indonesians prefer to prolong their digital subscriptions and premium accounts in numerous over-the-top (OTT) services like Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar for entertainment. (Unsplash/Glenn Carstens Peters)
Despite the threat of a recession, the demand for digital subscriptions in Indonesia is not dying down.
YouTube, Spotify and Netflix are familiar names that attract millennials, Gen Z-ers and even Gen X-ers who crave even more fast-paced stimuli. Not to mention Disney+ Hotstar, MOLA and other over-the-top (OTT) services that have recently expanded to Indonesia.
There are obvious benefits to these paid or premium streaming services. Aside from advertisement-free content, subscribers have unlimited access to platforms. In the wake of analog switch-off, some could be seen searching for cheaper subscriptions of these services through social media.
Tiara Adinda, a 34-year-old radio announcer from Jakarta, doesn't have to join that crowd. After all, before the analog switch-off, she had already subscribed to five streaming services—Netflix, Vidio, Spotify, Mola and Smule.
"I've been using Smule for six years now [to channel my singing hobby]," Tiara explained. "[I've subscribed] to Vidio for three years to watch football, plus two years to Netflix for movies and Spotify for music."
Due to the pandemic, Tiara spent most of her time at home in the past two years and continued to renew her subscriptions to avoid boredom. Like Tiara, Kenza "Kenny" Emeraldy, also owns five paid streaming service accounts.
"At first, [I subscribed to] Spotify and then Netflix," said the 28-year-old sports journalist. "[Subscription to] Mola and Vidio followed soon after. [...] For the last 12 months, I've also subscribed to Disney+, thanks to the bundle offer from Telkomsel."
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