Malaysia's YouTube creator earnings lagging in region
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.'
Online shopping
Creators on YouTube, known for their authentic storytelling, can significantly drive consideration for products. Two in five consumers in this region rely on online video for product research, with YouTube being the preferred choice for 86% of them.
To drive this further, YouTube Shopping has now launched in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines in partnership with Shopee. YouTube Shopping allows eligible creators to easily promote products from their own stores or other brands. Top creators across the region are joining the affiliate programme, with millions of videos already tagged.
Creators in the region, according to YouTube data, are also seeing their revenues increase in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Watching TV means watching YouTube
The influence of YouTube extends across various formats and devices and increasingly, watching TV means watching YouTube on connected TVs (CTV). Around the world, viewers are watching on average over one billion hours of YouTube content on TVs daily. In Southeast Asia, YouTube on CTV is reaching over 79 million people across the region. YouTube content on TV screens is interactive and includes formats such as Shorts, podcasts and live streams, right alongside the sports, sitcoms and talk shows people already love.
Creators are adapting by creating content that provides a high-quality viewing experience on larger screens. In turn, YouTube is evolving the ads experience in the living room to match what viewers want and expect on the big screen – including fewer, longer ad breaks and more interactivity such as Pause ads – to create a seamless viewing experience and the flexibility to make more entertaining ads.
'More advertisers in the region are building connected TV campaigns into their media strategies. This shift to streaming means broadcast and cable cannot deliver the same reach at the scale they have relied on for years,' added Sapna.
At a time when nearly every major streaming service is going ad-supported, YouTube counts itself among services that can provide the reach, viewership and engagement that advertisers need.
As Southeast Asia's digital landscape continues to evolve, YouTube is shaping the future of e-commerce and redefining how people discover, engage with and purchase products. With 86% of consumers in Southeast Asia relying on online videos before making buying decisions, YouTube is set to become an important engine of Southeast Asia's digital economy.
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