Japan has emerged as the APAC region’s clear winner in premium entertainment subscriptions, market monitor Luminate says.
In a region known for lagging much of the world in subscription-based entertainment, Japan stands out, accounting for nearly one-third of all premium streams in the Asia-Pacific and Australia/NZ regions in the first half of 2025, Luminate’s VP of Music Insights & Industry Relations, Jaime Marconette, wrote in a new blog post.
“Japan has historically valued physical music formats such as CDs. And while they are still very popular and command significant spend, younger audiences are increasingly gravitating toward streaming platforms,” Marconette wrote.
“Concurrently, reports of free streaming usage have decreased slightly since 2023, indicating a successful conversion rate from free to Premium services.”
Marconette drew on data from a new Luminate report on streaming in the APAC region, which showed that Japan’s youth are leading the way in adoption of subscription streaming, with the percentage of Japanese Gen Z who are premium music streamers rising to 42% this year, from 36% in 2023.
The report found premium streams of music, film and TV content in Japan shot up 11.4% YoY in Japan, passing the 70-billion mark. Australia came in second, with around 50 billion, followed by India, which overtook South Korea for third place, with streams up 43.9% YoY to nearly 40 billion.
In terms of total streams, including ad-supported, India remains in first place, with Japan in second and Indonesia in third. However, India and Indonesia have the lowest share of premium streams among the countries surveyed, with fewer than 20% of streams coming via paid accounts.
That compares with rates at or above 75% in South Korea, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong.
That places these countries near the global average of 82% of streams coming from premium accounts. That compares to just 62% in the APAC region.
This gap illustrates both the challenge and opportunity for the region,” Marconette wrote.
“Japan has historically valued physical music formats such as CDs. And while they are still very popular and command significant spend, younger audiences are increasingly gravitating toward streaming platforms.”
Jamie Marconette, Luminate
He sees promise in Japan’s leading role in paid streaming adoption.
“The clear leadership of Japan has ripple effects across the global music economy. By driving Premium volume in a region still catching up to global norms, the country is shaping consumption patterns, licensing models and fan expectations,” Marconette wrote.
“Its role ensures artists and labels alike see meaningful revenue returns in a part of the world where ad-supported and free streaming have historically been more common.”Music Business Worldwide
