Expansion of Broadcasting Law Risks Hampering Digital Economy and Global Competitiveness of Indonesia's Creative Industry
The House of Representatives (DPR) is deliberating revisions to the Broadcasting Law with one particularly concerning policy direction: expanding the scope of regulation to encompass the internet and digital platforms. The plan has triggered serious concerns from a digital economy perspective, as it could potentially hamper creative industry growth, suppress innovation, and diminish Indonesia's ability to compete in the global market.
Over the past decade, Indonesia's digital economy has demonstrated significant growth. The development of streaming platforms, the flourishing independent film industry, and the emergence of millions of digital content creators have established a new ecosystem enabling more open and efficient content production, distribution, and monetisation. The internet has become the primary space for creative works to emerge, as well as a vital bridge for local content to penetrate international markets.
The market value of Indonesia's content creator industry, including film and animation, has reached Rp 1,000 trillion, with potential to grow four to five times over the next five years. This figure reflects the digital economy's tangible contribution to job creation, creator empowerment, and the strengthening of a knowledge-based economy. In the context of the film industry, the digital space also plays a strategic role. Various streaming platforms have become "a second revenue stream for Indonesia's film industry after cinema screenings," said Orchida Ramadhania, a film producer.
The global potential of Indonesia's creative industry is clearly evident from digital content consumption data. Throughout 2025, more than 90 per cent of Netflix subscribers in Indonesia watched local content, and at least 35 Indonesian titles made it onto the platform's Global Top 10 list. This achievement demonstrates that Indonesian local stories possess strong appeal, not only in the domestic market but also internationally. With the support of an open digital ecosystem, Indonesian content has significant opportunity to become part of global cultural currents.
However, these opportunities are threatened by the direction of the Broadcasting Law revision, which could potentially bring a strict content control approach to the internet space. Various drafts and proposals in circulation indicate a tendency towards regulation through new licensing mechanisms, normative oversight, and subjective restrictions on expression. Such an approach may be relevant in the context of conventional broadcasting such as television and radio, but becomes problematic when applied to the internet, which is participatory, decentralised, and highly dependent on innovation.
Remotivi researcher Muhamad Heychael stressed that applying the traditional broadcasting regulatory model to the digital sphere risks creating business uncertainty. "If broadcasting logic is applied to the internet, compliance costs could become excessive and difficult to meet, particularly for local film production houses, start-ups, and the millions of independent creators who have been the backbone of the digital creative economy," he said. Such regulatory uncertainty has the potential to hold back investment and hinder business expansion into global markets.
Furthermore, extending the Broadcasting Law to the internet also risks sending negative signals to international investors and global technology industry players. When internet regulation moves towards strict and disproportionate content control, Indonesia may be perceived as a country with high regulatory risk. This perception runs counter to the government's ambition to make the digital economy the primary engine of national economic growth and to position Indonesia as a creative industry hub in the region.
From a global perspective, countries that have successfully propelled their creative industries onto the world stage have developed adaptive regulatory frameworks rather than rigid content controls. If Indonesia takes the opposite path, opportunities for local creators to compete globally could narrow further.
For this reason, the DPR needs to reconsider its approach to the Broadcasting Law revision. "Internet and digital platform regulation should be placed within a governance framework that differs from conventional broadcasting, emphasising protection of freedom of expression, legal certainty, and support for innovation," said Bayu Wardhana, Secretary General of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI). Without free creative space and proportional regulation, it is difficult to envisage Indonesia's creative industry being able to develop and compete at the global level.
Rather than expanding the Broadcasting Law, policymakers need to focus attention on strengthening regulation that aligns with the character of the digital economy and the long-term development vision. Without due caution, the Broadcasting Law revision could become a brake on a sector that has been one of the primary hopes for national economic growth and Indonesia's gateway to the world's creative industry stage.
Over the past decade, Indonesia's digital economy has demonstrated significant growth. The development of streaming platforms, the flourishing independent film industry, and the emergence of millions of digital content creators have established a new ecosystem enabling more open and efficient content production, distribution, and monetisation. The internet has become the primary space for creative works to emerge, as well as a vital bridge for local content to penetrate international markets.
The market value of Indonesia's content creator industry, including film and animation, has reached Rp 1,000 trillion, with potential to grow four to five times over the next five years. This figure reflects the digital economy's tangible contribution to job creation, creator empowerment, and the strengthening of a knowledge-based economy. In the context of the film industry, the digital space also plays a strategic role. Various streaming platforms have become "a second revenue stream for Indonesia's film industry after cinema screenings," said Orchida Ramadhania, a film producer.
The global potential of Indonesia's creative industry is clearly evident from digital content consumption data. Throughout 2025, more than 90 per cent of Netflix subscribers in Indonesia watched local content, and at least 35 Indonesian titles made it onto the platform's Global Top 10 list. This achievement demonstrates that Indonesian local stories possess strong appeal, not only in the domestic market but also internationally. With the support of an open digital ecosystem, Indonesian content has significant opportunity to become part of global cultural currents.
However, these opportunities are threatened by the direction of the Broadcasting Law revision, which could potentially bring a strict content control approach to the internet space. Various drafts and proposals in circulation indicate a tendency towards regulation through new licensing mechanisms, normative oversight, and subjective restrictions on expression. Such an approach may be relevant in the context of conventional broadcasting such as television and radio, but becomes problematic when applied to the internet, which is participatory, decentralised, and highly dependent on innovation.
Remotivi researcher Muhamad Heychael stressed that applying the traditional broadcasting regulatory model to the digital sphere risks creating business uncertainty. "If broadcasting logic is applied to the internet, compliance costs could become excessive and difficult to meet, particularly for local film production houses, start-ups, and the millions of independent creators who have been the backbone of the digital creative economy," he said. Such regulatory uncertainty has the potential to hold back investment and hinder business expansion into global markets.
Furthermore, extending the Broadcasting Law to the internet also risks sending negative signals to international investors and global technology industry players. When internet regulation moves towards strict and disproportionate content control, Indonesia may be perceived as a country with high regulatory risk. This perception runs counter to the government's ambition to make the digital economy the primary engine of national economic growth and to position Indonesia as a creative industry hub in the region.
From a global perspective, countries that have successfully propelled their creative industries onto the world stage have developed adaptive regulatory frameworks rather than rigid content controls. If Indonesia takes the opposite path, opportunities for local creators to compete globally could narrow further.
For this reason, the DPR needs to reconsider its approach to the Broadcasting Law revision. "Internet and digital platform regulation should be placed within a governance framework that differs from conventional broadcasting, emphasising protection of freedom of expression, legal certainty, and support for innovation," said Bayu Wardhana, Secretary General of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI). Without free creative space and proportional regulation, it is difficult to envisage Indonesia's creative industry being able to develop and compete at the global level.
Rather than expanding the Broadcasting Law, policymakers need to focus attention on strengthening regulation that aligns with the character of the digital economy and the long-term development vision. Without due caution, the Broadcasting Law revision could become a brake on a sector that has been one of the primary hopes for national economic growth and Indonesia's gateway to the world's creative industry stage.