Asia Pacific's screen economy will balloon from $179 billion this year to $200 billion by 2031, but the region's media companies face a fundamental shift in how they extract value from their content. Vivek Couto, CEO of Media Partners Asia, delivered this forecast at the APOS conference, warning that traditional revenue engines like advertising and subscription models will no longer drive growth.
Instead, retail media and commerce integration represent the next frontier for monetization across the APAC region. This pivot reflects broader industry trends reshaping how streaming platforms, broadcasters, and content creators generate income in an increasingly saturated market. As subscription fatigue spreads and ad-supported models face audience saturation, media companies now eye e-commerce and shoppable content as untapped revenue sources.
The projection reveals APAC's screen economy growing at a measured pace over the decade, with annual gains of roughly $2.3 billion per year. That modesty reflects mature markets like Australia and Japan alongside explosive growth in Southeast Asia and India. The divergence creates distinct challenges for media strategists operating across the region.
Couto's remarks underscore a reality already visible in global streaming. Netflix experiments with shoppable features. Amazon Prime Video layers shopping opportunities directly into its platform. Asian broadcasters like Tencent Video in China have long monetized content through integrated commerce. The trend now accelerates as traditional media gatekeepers recognize that content itself functions as a gateway to retail transactions.
For publishers and studios operating in APAC, the implication is clear: building platforms requires thinking beyond entertainment. The next generation of media success depends on seamlessly connecting viewers to shopping experiences without disrupting narrative engagement. This represents a fundamental repositioning of screen content's economic purpose across the region's rapidly evolving media landscape.