When I first heard about Australia's expanded social media restrictions including YouTube in their under-16 ban, my immediate gut reaction wasn't about compliance headaches. It was about opportunity.
Here's what I'm seeing from my production work across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines: a lot of countries are observing how Australia executes this social media ban. Norway and the UK have already announced similar plans. This isn't just an Australian story—it's a global shift that's coming whether we're ready or not.
Brands are about to lose their classical means of reaching younger audiences through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and now YouTube. Those A$50 million penalties? They make this serious business. But here's the thing most production companies are missing: when one door closes, another opens.
The Streaming Renaissance
I believe we're about to see a renaissance for traditional media and streaming platforms. More specifically, Netflix and other platforms with ad-supported tiers will see increased targeting toward younger audiences.
Think about it: these platforms offer something social media can't right now—compliant access to youth audiences. The numbers back this up. Research shows 66% of marketing respondents indicate Connected TV budget increases will come primarily from social media budget shifts.
This matches exactly what I'm seeing across our markets in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. We've been positioning ourselves for this transition through our recent partnerships and expansion strategy. The regulatory pressure is creating exactly the kind of market shift that makes our multi-market approach valuable.
Progressive vs. Traditional Mindset
Most production companies see regulatory changes as obstacles. I see them as business opportunities—and that mindset difference is everything.
It's not East versus West. It's progressive versus traditional thinking. Progressive companies like Wave Films don't wait to see what happens. We actively position ourselves across multiple markets and build partnerships that give us flexibility before we need it.
While traditional companies stick to their established workflows and wait for clients to tell them what they need, we're already expanding our footprint and diversifying our capabilities. Since 2012, we've pivoted from feature films to service production to commercials and back to features based on what the market demanded. That adaptability isn't just nice to have—it's essential when digital video is expected to capture nearly 60% of total TV/video ad spend in 2025.
Reading the Multi-Market Shift
Operating across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines gives us front-row seats to how different regulatory approaches will unfold. Each market is watching Australia closely, but they'll implement restrictions differently.
Secretly, I'm hoping this could rejuvenate Singapore as a hub for commercial productions. But honestly, I believe Malaysia and the Philippines are better positioned for the cost efficiency and crew availability that brands will need when they pivot their budgets.
Here's what I've learned: the question isn't how individual country regulations will affect distribution strategies. The question is where the entire market is heading long-term. If youth audiences move toward traditional streaming and TV, we need to align our content production strategy accordingly—and we need to do it now, not after everyone else figures it out.
The marketing strategy will definitely be different, and that's where the real opportunity lies. TV commercial production becomes significantly more valuable as social media youth targeting gets restricted.
Strategy Over Compliance
The environment changes so quickly these days—technology, regulations, audience behavior. You always need to stay aware of what might change, but you can't be driven purely by technology or regulatory fear. Strategy must lead, but you keep an open mind for what's around the corner.
Here's what most production companies are completely missing: they're focused on compliance instead of positioning for the advertising budget reallocation opportunity. While they're worrying about restrictions, we're building the infrastructure to capture those budgets when they inevitably move from social platforms to traditional and streaming channels.
We're not waiting to see what happens—that's the traditional company approach. At Wave Films, we're actively positioning ourselves where the money will flow next. The companies that recognize this shift early, that build the right partnerships and expand into the right markets now, will have the competitive advantage when brands desperately need new ways to reach younger audiences.
That's not just business strategy. That's survival in an industry where adaptability isn't optional—it's everything.