Sep 23, 2025
An exclusive analysis for Licensing Magazine
The streaming ecosystem in EMEA has seen steady growth in the availability and viewership of Asian content in recent years. More than 33K Asian titles are currently available across the region, spanning multiple countries and genres.
Content Origin and Geographic Distribution
India leads Asian content supply in EMEA, followed by Japan, China, and South Korea. This reflects the global demand for Bollywood, anime and K-dramas.
Among EMEA countries, the ones that distribute the most Asian titles are United Kingdom (+22K), Saudi Arabia (+13K) and Germany (+13K). This trend highlights both the maturity of streaming in established markets and the rapid adoption in emerging markets. Saudi Arabia stands out — 85% of households watch online content, 5% above the regional penetration and up 16% year over year —showing how increased content supply and strong streaming adoption go hand in hand.
Platforms and Business Models
Prime Video hosts the largest volume of Asian titles in EMEA (+7K), over three times more than Netflix (+2K). However, Netflix dominates in original Asian productions, releasing more than 40 new titles in 2025 alone.
Netflix’s catalog focuses heavily on India and Japan. During October, Netflix will premiere over 10 new Asian productions, including One Piece (1999) new episodes, the K-drama Typhoon Family (2025) and the Indian animated series Kurukshetra: The Great War of Mahabharata (2025). In addition, global hits like Squid Game (2021) and When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025) remain among the top five most popular Asian titles worldwide.
On the other hand, Prime Video offers a larger, more diverse catalog, also led by India and Japan but with stronger representation from Hong Kong and China. Its original title Dan Da Dan (Japan, 2024) ranks among the top 10 most popular Asian titles worldwide.
When looking at pricing, both Netflix ($6.22) and Prime Video ($6.42) are priced slightly below the EMEA average for ad-free subscription plans ($7.44). This competitive positioning suggests that both platforms are strategically keeping prices accessible to maximize reach — with Netflix leveraging its original content slate to drive engagement and Prime Video using its larger, more varied catalog to appeal to cost-sensitive users seeking diversity.
However, pricing varies significantly across EMEA. Countries like Switzerland and Denmark have some of the highest subscription costs in the region, while markets such as Nigeria and Egypt offer substantially lower prices. This wide gap underscores how platforms are adapting their pricing strategies to local purchasing power and market maturity.
Genre Preferences and Audience Behavior
Top genres for Asian content in EMEA are comedy (52%), action (47%), crime (47%) and drama (42%). Anime and K-dramas hold a moderate 11% penetration each, with higher preference in Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey.
Women show a stronger preference for K-dramas (14% vs. 8% for men).
Anime attracts a balanced audience, slightly male-skewed (12.3% vs. 10.6%).
Animation is especially popular among women in Turkey (36%) and South Africa (45%).
The strong presence of Asian titles on Prime Video and Netflix directly shapes their programming strategies. The release of Asian originals on global platforms — such as When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025), The Resurrected (2025), and Good News (2025) — reinforces their focus on local content with global potential and subscriber engagement.
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