The leaders of Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and HBO Max are set to appear together on one stage; Andy Serkis will share his perspective on the relationship between artificial intelligence and human creativity; and the program will dive deep into India’s media powerhouse JioStar, the economics of microdramas, and emerging startups that promise to dramatically reduce content production costs and timelines.

APOS, widely regarded as the leading annual gathering for the Asia-Pacific media and entertainment industry, is kicking off this week in Bali, Indonesia. Organizers from research and advisory firm Media Partners Asia (MPA) have framed the 2026 edition around a single defining theme: a reset.

The summit brings together many of the region’s most influential players, including global streaming services, Indian media conglomerates, Chinese technology platforms, and a growing number of AI-driven and microdrama-focused companies. They are united by a common understanding that television, theatrical releases, streaming platforms, and social video are increasingly converging into a single ecosystem, while traditional rules governing content monetization continue to evolve rapidly.

According to MPA, Asia’s screen entertainment economy is currently valued at approximately $180 billion and is projected to exceed $200 billion by 2031. Online video has already surpassed traditional television across the region, and nearly all future growth is expected to come from digital platforms.

An increasing share of this value is being captured by platforms that compete primarily for consumer attention rather than prestige. MPA estimates that ByteDance and YouTube are now the most valuable entertainment companies in the world, each carrying valuations exceeding $500 billion—roughly double the value of many traditional Hollywood studios. As MPA chief executive Vivek Couto explains, “Money follows consumers, and advertising dollars follow attention.”

Couto, who will open the three-day conference with a keynote address and moderate many of the discussions, has structured the agenda around three central themes: scale, monetization, and, above all, artificial intelligence.

A decade ago, Reed Hastings used the APOS stage to introduce Netflix’s vision for Asia. Today, premium streaming has become an established pillar of the entertainment business, and Netflix executives will share the spotlight with powerful regional competitors and AI-native companies that are seeking to redefine the economics of content creation.

Here are five key questions expected to shape APOS 2026 and the next chapter of Asia’s entertainment industry.

What Comes Next for Premium Streaming in Asia?

Media Partners Asia forecasts that the premium streaming market in the Asia-Pacific region—led by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and HBO Max—will generate approximately $10 billion annually by the end of 2026.

In what resembles a peace summit after years of so-called “streaming wars,” senior regional executives from these rival services will appear together on a single panel. Participants include Netflix’s Minyoung Kim, Prime Video’s Gaurav Gandhi, Disney’s Tony Zameczkowski, and Warner Bros. Discovery’s James Gibbons.

According to Couto, streaming services have achieved impressive growth in Asia over the past several years, but they continue to trail the expansion rates of platforms such as YouTube and TikTok.

“These services may have doubled in size, but YouTube and TikTok have grown fourfold. Against the backdrop of an intense battle for attention and the explosive rise of vertical video and microdramas, the question becomes: what can premium streaming platforms do to unlock their next phase of growth?” he said.

The discussion is expected to focus on several possible strategies, including greater investment in sports and live events, the rollout of advertising-supported subscription tiers, expanded production of cost-effective unscripted content, experimentation with premium short-form programming, stronger personalization tools, and new partnership and bundling opportunities.

“And hopefully we’ll hear a few ideas that genuinely surprise us,” Couto added.

Can JioStar Truly Compete with YouTube?

Among the regional champions that regularly attract attention at APOS, few stand out more than JioStar, the Indian television and streaming giant controlled by Reliance and partly owned by Disney, which holds a 37 percent stake in the company.

What makes JioStar unique, according to APOS organizers, is that it competes less directly with Netflix or Prime Video and more with YouTube itself, particularly in the race for advertising revenue and massive audience reach.

Couto describes JioStar as “the only major player outside China operating at this scale.” The company is among the fastest-growing streaming businesses in the world and is increasingly positioning itself as an AI-powered premium platform.

During separate sessions, JioStar Entertainment CEO Kevin Vaz will outline the company’s strategy for expanding its influence in India, while sports and live experiences chief Ishan Chatterjee will discuss fan engagement, artificial intelligence, and the commerce ecosystem being built around live sporting events.

The key question is whether a YouTube-style advertising engine and a premium subscription business can successfully coexist within the same platform—and whether India’s scale and aggressive adoption of AI can deliver the profitability that has proven elusive for many regional competitors.

How Will Microdrama Platforms Turn Explosive Growth into Sustainable Profitability?

Vertical microdramas—short, fast-paced serialized stories designed specifically for smartphone viewing—have emerged as one of the fastest-growing content formats in the industry.

According to Couto, microdramas represent “the fastest creation of a format we’ve ever tracked.” In just four years, the category has evolved into a multibillion-dollar business.

Media Partners Asia estimates that the microdrama market outside China will reach approximately $3.5 billion this year. Two leading platforms, ReelShort from Crazy Maple Studio and DramaBox, currently control more than half of that market.

ReelShort founder and CEO Joey Jia will participate in a special APOS discussion focused on the business fundamentals driving the sector’s rapid expansion.

Despite strong audience growth, many microdrama companies continue to operate at a loss while aggressively pursuing market share. As a result, the industry’s most pressing challenge is determining whether these platforms can convert their expanding user bases into sustainable revenue streams through subscriptions, telecommunications partnerships, licensing agreements, and other monetization models.

Can Anime and K-Content Continue Their Global Momentum?

For years, many industry observers questioned whether niche streaming platforms could survive without broad mainstream appeal.

Crunchyroll, the anime-focused service that has become a consistent bright spot in Sony Group’s earnings reports, has demonstrated that specialization can be a powerful advantage.

Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini will participate in an early APOS session to discuss how the company has built a comprehensive fandom ecosystem where streaming serves as the foundation, supported by merchandise, live events, music, and theatrical releases.

The company is also expected to announce expansion into additional international markets with strong demand for anime content.

In another session, DIVE Studios co-founder Brian Nam will explain why K-pop has become one of the world’s most effective fandom-driven entertainment models.

Together, these examples illustrate how focused content strategies can successfully compete against broad entertainment platforms—provided the fan communities are passionate enough to support multiple revenue streams across different formats.

Will Artificial Intelligence Reduce Costs Without Replacing Human Creativity?

According to Couto, the adoption of artificial intelligence across Asia—particularly in major markets such as China and India—is occurring at a speed and scale unmatched in most other parts of the world.

As a result, AI has become the defining theme running throughout APOS 2026.

For investors, the central question is how dramatically artificial intelligence can transform the economics of content production. Many expect AI to significantly reduce expenses related to marketing, localization, and production while accelerating development cycles and improving operational efficiency.

Among the notable participants are China’s leading AI video-generation platforms, including Kling from Kuaishou and Seedance from ByteDance, as well as AI-native production companies such as Utopai Studios.

The summit’s flagship AI discussion will feature filmmaker and motion-capture pioneer Andy Serkis, best known for his work in The Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes, alongside Google executive Jon Zepp.

Their conversation will explore the impact of artificial intelligence on intellectual property, creative professions, and the future of storytelling. More importantly, they will address one of the industry’s most significant questions: how to ensure that human creativity remains at the center of the creative process in an increasingly AI-driven entertainment landscape.