The Indonesian media landscape in 2025 looks dramatically different from even three years ago. New channels have emerged, measurement capabilities have advanced, and audience behaviors have shifted in ways that require every media plan to be revisited.
Trend 1: Retail Media Is Exploding
Tokopedia, Shopee, and Lazada have built significant advertising businesses on the back of their first-party shopper data. Retail media advertising in Indonesia grew 45% in 2024 and is accelerating. For FMCG and e-commerce brands, retail media now competes with social and search for budget allocation.
Trend 2: Connected TV (CTV) Is Gaining Traction
Smart TV penetration in Indonesian households reached 23% in 2024 and is growing rapidly in urban areas. CTV advertising — reaching viewers through streaming apps on smart TVs — is beginning to register as a meaningful channel for premium brands. Inventory from Vidio, Netflix (limited), and YouTube on TV is now buyable programmatically.
Trend 3: Programmatic DOOH Adoption
Digital out-of-home advertising is moving from direct buys to programmatic execution. Hivestack and the development of local DOOH SSPs means Indonesian outdoor inventory is increasingly accessible via DSP for real-time buying with audience data integration.
Trend 4: Attention-Based Buying
Forward-thinking Indonesian agencies are beginning to buy on attention metrics (measured by eye-tracking studies and proxy signals like scroll speed, active tab monitoring) rather than pure viewability. Higher attention = higher brand impact, enabling smarter budget allocation.
Trend 5: AI-Driven Creative Optimization
Platform AI (Meta's Advantage+, Google's Performance Max, TikTok's Smart Performance Campaigns) is automating creative selection and placement optimization. Media planners are shifting from placement-level management to creative strategy and audience signal management.
Trend 6: First-Party Data Becomes Table Stakes
As third-party cookie deprecation continues, first-party data infrastructure — CDP, CRM integration, identity resolution — is shifting from competitive advantage to baseline requirement for effective digital advertising.
