Roland Berger details APAC's data-driven shift to counter streaming fragmentation

Broadcasters in APAC face a critical pivot as advertising dollars fragment across global and local platforms. The move toward data-driven personalization over traditional mass-programming is no longer optional for commercial sustainability. By adopting hybrid cloud infrastructures and AI localization, local players can defend their domestic market share against global giants while expanding into neighboring regions. This technical shift also necessitates a regulatory response; expect increased industry lobbying for standardized local content quotas and AI labeling laws and to level the competitive playing field. Watch for the proliferation of cross-border 'content-export pipelines' as a key indicator of successful technical integration.

The push for AI adoption in APAC broadcasting coincides with a significant regional regulatory surge. Per Law.Asia (March 2026), Taiwan’s AI Basic Act took effect in January 2026, establishing a framework for government oversight of autonomous media systems. Concurrently, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) registered the 2026 Commercial Radio Code of Practice in February 2026, making Australia the first major market to mandate that broadcasters explicitly disclose the use of synthetic AI voices to their audiences. This transparency shift is mirrored in South Korea’s AI Basic Act, which also arrived in early 2026 and requires AI labeling for commercial media content.

Technically, the industry is moving toward standardized IP-based workflows to facilitate these AI deployments. Per APB News (January 2026), SMPTE’s ST 2110 has emerged as the industry standard for APAC broadcasters migrating to full IP infrastructure, replacing legacy SDI systems for better cloud integration. This shift is critical as content spending dynamics rebalance; per Media Partners Asia (September 2025), streaming investment is projected to overtake pay-TV across seven key Asian markets by 2025, reaching approximately $5 billion annually. Organizations like ASEAN Connect, an alliance of regional telcos and data centers reported by Asian Telecom (July 2024), are further accelerating this by building cross-border connectivity networks spanning over 10,000 km to support seamless OTT delivery.

Commercial players are already seeing the benefits of this data-focused strategy. Per Kantar Media (May 2026), Netflix has become the most preferred global ad platform among consumers in Japan and South Korea, with users specifically citing the high quality and trustworthiness of its local-market targeted advertising. As regional storytelling gains international traction—such as the recent success of Thai and Korean IP noted by Roland Berger—broadcasters are increasingly leveraging AI dubbing not just as a production tool, but as a distribution layer to enter foreign markets with zero latency, a trend highlighted in Perso AI’s State of AI Dubbing 2026 report.