2016 has been referred to as the “OTT First Year” as numerous local and international OTT players entered the Taiwanese market. In that same year, Netflix launched in Taiwan, thus accelerating competition among video streaming services.
According to Media Partners Asia, the total paying SVOD subscribers in Taiwan reached 4.1 million at the end of 2021. SVOD’s share expanded to 16%, up from 10% in Q3 2021, driven by the growth of Netflix and the launch of Disney+ in November 2021. Freemium services remained dominant in Taiwan, taking up 64% of premium video streaming while AVOD platforms contributed 20% share. Other global and local players include Yahoo TV, Line TV, LiTV, iQIYI, FriDay MyVideo and KKTV.
As the Taiwanese SVOD market remains fragmented with over a dozen platforms competing for subscriber share, Taiwan in View 2023 will look at how the tides are changing for the market as more players enter the field. Is there enough room for everyone or would collaboration between local operators and international companies be the way forward for growth? And how can Taiwanese content be made for the global audience? Is there an opportunity for the next global hit to come out of Taiwan?
