As Indonesia’s entertainment industry gains greater international visibility, MD Entertainment, one of the country’s top studios, is increasingly looking beyond local success and toward global partnerships, franchise development and emerging content formats.
During the “Indonesia At Scale” session at the APOS conference, MD Entertainment founder and CEO Manoj Punjabi outlined the company’s ambitions to expand its footprint across both traditional and digital entertainment sectors.
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While MD remains best known for its dominant position in Indonesia’s film and television industry, Punjabi said international distribution has become an increasingly important part of the company’s strategy.
Asked whether Netflix serves a different audience from MD’s traditional television business, Punjabi noted that every platform plays a distinct role within the content ecosystem. He added that global streaming services have become important gateways for Indonesian stories to reach international audiences, while future growth will increasingly depend on cross-border IP development.
Looking ahead, Punjabi identified microdramas as one of MD’s most promising growth areas, with licensing opportunities and new distribution models emerging as key areas of focus. The company has already begun building a dedicated pipeline around short-form storytelling as the format continues to gain momentum across Asia.
Punjabi emphasized that any move into new formats must be supported by a long-term content and production strategy. Rather than pursuing growth for its own, he stressed the importance of maintaining quality across film, television and digital productions.
The executive also revealed that MD continues to attract interest from international partners and investors. He pointed to ongoing discussions with overseas companies, including South Korea’s SBS, which became a strategic shareholder in the company last year, as evidence of growing confidence in Indonesia’s content sector.
While streaming platforms continue to reshape viewing habits across Southeast Asia, Punjabi shared that strong IP and premium storytelling remain the industry’s most valuable assets.
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