YouTube’s creator ecosystem in Southeast Asia has seen significant expansion, with over 7,600 creators across Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines now having more than one million subscribers. A further 77,000 channels have reached at least 100,000 subscribers. This growth highlights the platform’s scale and presents strong opportunities for brands to work with creators to reach highly engaged audiences. These collaborations support both brand performance and the creation of new revenue streams for creators.
Video commerce now contributes 20% of Southeast Asia’s total e-commerce gross merchandise value, a fourfold increase in just two years. YouTube continues to establish itself as a leading platform for online and offline commercial success in the region. In 2024, it reached 290 million people in Southeast Asia, covering 85% of the region’s online population. Content uploads from Vietnam and Indonesia also rose by 85% year-on-year from 2023 to 2024.
Trust in creators strengthens YouTube’s role in brand-building
YouTube’s broad reach—covering 8 in 10 online users in Southeast Asia—has made it a central platform for content discovery and shopping across multiple formats and devices. Trust plays a central role in this influence, with creators at the core of it.
A Kantar study showed that 85% of viewers in Thailand and 67% in Indonesia trust content from YouTube creators. This sentiment extends to brand content as well, with 60% of Indonesian Gen Z respondents saying they trust brands featured by YouTube creators—compared to 46% on other platforms.
Ipsos data shows that in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, more people trust Google and YouTube throughout their purchase journey than leading social media platforms.
“This trust translates into purchase confidence, with YouTube driving almost 4x greater purchase intent than other social media platforms in the region. Even amidst the sheer volume of content, YouTube’s emphasis on rich, high-quality content allows brands to convey their identity and purpose effectively, fostering long-term partnerships based on shared values with creators,” said Sapna Chadha, VP, Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier, Google.
“A defining characteristic for YouTube in Southeast Asia is the trust and credibility creators have cultivated with their audiences. Users are 98% more likely to trust the recommendations of creators on YouTube compared to those on other social sites or apps,” adds Sapna.
Yudist Ardhana, one of the region’s top creators, agrees: “Authenticity and credibility are extremely important when it comes to building an audience. Viewers and fans can sense which creators are authentic and which are not. This commitment to genuine connection is what builds lasting trust and support. As this year marks my tenth year creating content on YouTube, I’ve seen it evolve from its humble beginnings into a platform that fosters a unique, mutually beneficial relationship between creators, audiences, and brands. Each party gains significant value.”
YouTube Shopping accelerates e-commerce adoption
Online video plays a key role in influencing purchases, with two in five consumers in the region using it to research products. YouTube remains the preferred platform for 86% of these users.
To support this trend, YouTube Shopping is now live in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines through a partnership with Shopee. The programme enables eligible creators to promote products from their own brands or other businesses. In Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand—where it launched first—an average of 55% of eligible creators have already signed up. The feature shortens the path from discovery to purchase, giving brands a new way to connect with shoppers.
“When a brand partners with the right creator, they’re not interrupting — they’re integrating. Their message becomes part of the story, not an ad break,” adds Sapna. “Creators aren’t just amplifying a brand’s narrative. They’re shaping it — with relevance, with authenticity, and with the kind of trust that actually drives action.”
“At L’Oréal Thailand, YouTube empowers us to bring beauty for all—across every price point and every passion. Whether through luxury innovations or everyday essentials, we collaborate with creators to craft campaigns that are flexible, relatable, and rooted in authenticity,” explains Yada Sarttarasathit Harel, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer, L’Oréal Thailand. “These voices help us connect more meaningfully with consumers across Thailand and amplify the values that define our brands.”
YouTube data shows that creator earnings are growing across Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, the number of channels making at least nine figures in Vietnamese dong rose by 35% year-on-year in December 2024. Creators such as Mai Trinh Hồ saw their total revenue increase nearly five times, while Jagat Review reported that 50% of his total channel earnings from July to October 2024 came from YouTube Shopping.
YouTube on connected TVs enhances viewer and brand engagement
Viewership on connected TVs (CTV) continues to rise, with users around the world watching more than one billion hours of YouTube content on TV screens each day. In Southeast Asia, over 79 million people now watch YouTube via connected TVs.
Creators are adapting their content for larger screens, while YouTube is refining the ad experience on TVs to better suit viewer expectations. This includes changes like fewer but longer ad breaks, Pause ads, and new features to make ads more interactive.
We continue evolving the ads experience in the living room to match what viewers want and expect on the big screen. Last month, YouTube’s announcements at Brandcast included formats like Shoppable CTV – the capability to shop for products using a QR code right on the big screen, or use our send-to-phone feature to continue browsing on mobile – and Immersive Masthead on CTV, which makes it even easier to capture attention and drive action.
“More advertisers in the region are building connected TV campaigns into their media strategies,” adds Sapna. “This shift to streaming means broadcast and cable can’t deliver the same reach at the scale they’ve relied on for years.”
At a time when nearly every major streaming service is going ad-supported, YouTube is the only service that can provide both the reach and the viewership and engagement that advertisers need.
Results from regional campaigns reflect this momentum. In the Philippines, McDonald’s achieved a 46% increase in average daily sales during a CTV campaign with YouTube, while Pepsi in Vietnam saw a 27% boost in reach among 18- to 44-year-olds. Nielsen research also shows that YouTube delivers 2.3 times higher long-term return on ad spend compared to paid social.
“Video commerce and creator-led marketing are reshaping how brands connect with consumers in Southeast Asia. Platforms like YouTube are empowering creators to bridge trust and commerce through engaging video content and integrated shopping solutions. With features like long-form storytelling, live streaming, Shorts and partnerships with marketplaces like Shopee, YouTube enables seamless transitions from discovery to purchase, helping brands tap into highly engaged audiences,” says Arthur Altounian, VP Client Strategy & Growth APAC at Goat, WPP MEDIA. “As consumer behavior shifts toward video-first experiences, YouTube’s ecosystem offers brands a powerful way to collaborate with creators, build authentic connections, and drive measurable business outcomes in the region’s rapidly evolving digital economy.”
As video becomes increasingly central to consumer journeys in Southeast Asia, YouTube is well placed to lead the future of e-commerce and brand engagement in the region.
