MALAYSIA’S YouTube creator earnings growth is slowest among Southeast Asian countries, with only a 4% year-on-year (y-o-y) increase in the number of channels making five figures or more (in ringgit) as of December 2024, lagging behind Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.
In Malaysia, there are 190 channels with over one million subscribers and 3,000 channels with over 100,000 subscribers, which puts the country behind Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand, but ahead of Singapore.
Regionally, Southeast Asia has 7,600 creators across Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines with more than one million subscribers and over 77,000 channels with 100,000 subscribers.
These growing figures underscore the platform’s reach and the opportunity for brands to tap into highly engaged audiences through creator-led partnerships. These partnerships not only benefit brands but also help creators build new revenue streams.
Video commerce is a significant and growing part of Southeast Asia’s digital economy and now accounts for 20% of e-commerce gross merchandise value, a four-fold increase over the last two years. YouTube is solidifying its position as a platform for driving commercial success, online and offline, in the region.
With over 3.5 billion people watching YouTube every month globally, it reached 290 million people in Southeast Asia last year, representing 85% of the online population in the region.
Growing creator economy
This growing creator economy is a key driver of YouTube’s position at the heart of video commerce in Southeast Asia. Brands are leveraging YouTube’s extensive reach, which includes eight out of 10 online users in the region who can easily browse, discover and buy on the platform in multiple formats on a variety of screens.
One of YouTube’s key strengths is trust – and creators are at the heart of it. This deep-rooted trust also influences purchase behaviour.
Google Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier vice president Sapna Chadha said this trust translates into purchase confidence, with YouTube driving almost four times greater purchase intent than other social media platforms in the region.
“Even amid 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.
“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.”
