Streaming packages are coming to Asia! Viu and iQIYI are teaming up for a single streaming subscription across Southeast Asia, merging Viu’s Korea-led catalog with the latter’s Chinese and local language roster. The package, joining forces in one of the world’s most popular streaming markets, was unveiled from the stage on Wednesday morning, during a panel with executives from the two services at the APOS conference in Bali.
The combined plan will be launched in the second half of 2026 across Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia, executives said.
Under the deal, the two services will be billed together but consumed separately, and sold directly through Viu and iQIYI International’s websites. The pairing is presented as complementary: Viu offers the Korean dramas that have fueled its regional rise, alongside Chinese series, Southeast Asian productions, its Viu Original slate and Viu Shorts, while iQIYI adds Chinese dramas and movies, anime, variety shows, and a growing slate of local-language originals — among them Thai dramas. KimjiraIndonesian drama The other sister And the diverse show Running Man Thailand.
The new partners did not disclose bundled subscription prices.
“Asian content is at the heart of what our audiences love,” said Janice Lee, CEO of Viu and managing director of PCCW Media Group, adding that “great Asian content should be more accessible.”
Yang Xianghua, who heads iQIYI’s overseas business, described the package as a “pivotal milestone in our overseas business in Southeast Asia”, and is built on “merging our highly complementary libraries into a unified subscription”.
Southeast Asia is among the toughest streaming markets anywhere — a highly diverse, price-sensitive and piracy-prone region of more than 600 million people where Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon’s Prime Video compete with deep-pocketed local and regional players. The region has seen several locally targeted streaming services flourish over the years, from Singtel-backed Hooq to the once-hot iflix.
The new package should help the two mid-tier services consolidate catalogs and churn while reducing the onerous cost of trying to compete for spend with global giants.
Viu, controlled by Hong Kong’s PCCW with France’s Canal+ as a major shareholder, has built an impressive permanent presence across Asia, the Middle East and Africa on a dual advertising and subscriptions model. iQIYI, the Nasdaq-listed Chinese live streaming giant, has turned to overseas markets such as Southeast Asia for growth as the highly competitive domestic market matures.
The move also follows a broader trend of standalone streaming apps making way for bundling and partnerships — among them Disney+’s recent deal with CJ ENM’s TVing in Japan, and Viu’s previous bundle with HBO Max, which launched in Southeast Asia last year.
