The MadTech Podcast

In today’s Digest, we discuss AI strengthening Big Tech’s hold on ad growth, China pulling ahead of the US in consumer AI adoption, and Amazon hitting the USD$1bn (£750m) sales milestone in India. 

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Omnicom turning to outcome-based pricing amid workforce cuts, Anthropic forecasting its second straight quarter of profit, and Alipay unveiling a wallet agent for AI payments.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at Amazon Ads bringing advertisers to ChatGPT, new filings revealing Sony’s early sharing of the WPP rebate probe, and Omnicom planning 15,000 job cuts as ad integration stumbles.

In this special episode of The MadTech Podcast, Lisa Morgan, managing director at Generation Media, and Maxine Fox, managing director at Giraffe Insights, join ExchangeWire's head of content, John Still, to discuss the UK's upcoming youth social media ban.The UK plans to block under-16s from social platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram from 2027. Messaging apps such as WhatsApp will be exempt from the ban. Lisa and Maxine outline the differences in parental support for the ban by platform and age of child, and how much rework this creates for youth media plans. Should agencies now be marketing to parents rather than to kids directly?The government has framed the move as putting power "back in parents' hands." This prompts the question of where responsibility for children's online safety lies – with parents, the children themselves, or the tech platforms. The conversation also explores the link between content and commerce in the youth sector, with a growing trend of brands moving into YouTube and publishing.Finally, given the circumvention issues seen with Australia's ban, will the UK's age checks actually work? And can youth media ever be truly brand safe?•••0:00 Get your tickets to ATS London!0:14 Introduction1:43 Differences in parental support across platforms7:04 Impact of social media ban on youth media plans10:58 Where might attention and ad spend shift to?13:53 Legislation, age verification, and brand safety18:08 Content and commerce in the youth sector

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss the UK safety body being denied access to Anthropic’s Mythos 5.1, the M+C Saatchi management buyout falling through, and Alibaba sending AI agents into rival apps.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss IPA data showing Brits increasingly consuming commercial media alone, particularly among younger audiences, a new ISBA study putting UK retail media networks under the microscope, and Australia proposing a law that would let users switch off social media algorithms.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at John Lewis betting on a YouTube chat show to get noticed by AI, The Trade Desk exiting the S&P 500 on the same day mass layoffs take effect, and Chinese AI developers turning to Tmall to sell subscriptions alongside smartphones and skincare.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss The Trade Desk laying off 15% of its workforce as its CEO frames the cuts as a strategic reset, VodafoneThree launching a TV service and premium mobile tier in a UK market push, and DAZN Media+ unveiling an AI-powered Sales Agent to streamline video ad buying.

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, Brian Yamada, chief innovation officer at VML, joins ExchangeWire CEO Rachel Smith and Grainne Reid, head of marketing, to discuss Meta's child safety settlement, California vs. Paramount, and OpenAI's ad business.The first story this week is Meta's $18bn settlement over claims that its social media platforms harmed children. The conversation explores if we will finally start to see a change in online safety standards, and how this might affect things from a product and user perspective. The second covers California's lawsuit to block Paramount Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, and how much leverage the state holds in this case.Finally, OpenAI's ad business has hit $1bn in annualised revenue run rate. What does ChatGPT Ads' success mean for advertisers and consumers, and does this justify OpenAI's $852bn valuation?•••0:00 Get your tickets to ATS London!0:25 Introduction1:15 Meta agrees to $18bn child safety settlement12:35 California cancels talks with Paramount over Warner Bros deal19:23 OpenAI’s ad business hits $1bn annualised revenue run rate

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at DOJ losing bid to break up Google’s ad tech business, Havas naming Patrick Affleck to lead its newly unified UK & Ireland Village, and the EU court rejecting Opera’s challenge over Microsoft Edge’s DMA exemption.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Bailey flagging the risk of an AI slowdown for global markets, OpenAI denying Apple’s trade secret theft claims and calling the lawsuit “a mess of Apple’s own making,” and Anthropic signing a USD$35bn cloud deal with Nvidia-backed Lambda for a Texas data center. 

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss the FTC and states suing Amazon over alleged ad-price manipulation, Brussels putting ChatGPT in the same bracket as Google and ushering in tougher rules, and Australia’s digital ad spend hitting a four-year high, climbing 14% to AUD$19.8bn (£10.45bn).

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire CEO Rachel Smith and COO Lindsay Rowntree join John Still, head of content, to discuss WPP vs. Richard Foster, Apple's app data consent rules, and YouTube's new monetisation bar.The first story this week covers WPP moving to seal parts of Richard Foster's amended wrongful termination lawsuit, and what this case means for agency practices. The second is Apple revising its app data consent rules after regulators found its App Tracking Transparency framework violated competition law. The team discuss if this move will make a difference with regards to user data and privacy, or truly benefit third-party app developers within Apple's ecosystem.Finally, YouTube will significantly raise its monetisation thresholds for new creators, while also changing the way it counts public video views. Are these changes keeping pace with the platform's scale? And how might this affect its creator ecosystem going forward?*Creators already enrolled in the YouTube Partner Program will not be affected – we mistakenly said that this would push existing creators out of the monetisation window. The dialogue instead highlights how many existing creator channels the new thresholds theoretically could affect, as a wider point about how steep the bar to entry has become for the creator economy, even for those that would otherwise look established enough to expect a straightforward path to monetisation.•••0:00 Get your tickets to ATS London!0:43 Introduction1:50 WPP escalates legal fight with Richard Foster15:49 Apple to revise app data consent rules26:19 YouTube raises threshold for new creators; changes how it counts views34:05 Weekly Quiz: Which British celebrity recently advised people to delete TikTok?35:48 Happy US National Dog Day!

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at The Trade Desk’s leaked deck revealing its agentic AI plans, Nine cutting the value of its television business, and OpenAI bringing shopping to the ChatGPT sidebar.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Meta agreeing to pay up to USD$18bn (£13.5bn) and restrict teen access under a sweeping state settlement, X revamping its creator pay with a new rewards program, and MiniMax posting a 283% revenue surge, though its pace still trails full-year targets. 

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover the ASA awareness campaign returning with expanded industry inventory, including Netflix and Waitrose, TikTok settling a children’s privacy case for USD$400m, and Taptap Digital acquiring Skyrise to expand in Europe. 

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Amazon being sued over its use of Twitch streamers’ videos to train AI models, UK digital infrastructure investment reaching dot-com era levels amid the AI data center boom, and Shein preparing to debut in Hong Kong at a valuation well below earlier expectations.

In today's MadTech Daily, we cover WPP's court filing against Richard Foster's whistleblower claims; Meta's decision to strip advertisers of the ability to exclude ad placements, and preliminary talks between Paramount and California officials over its $110bn Warner Bros Discovery acquisition.

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, Amy Banks, head of SEO and GEO at Havas Media Network, joins ExchangeWire COO Lindsay Rowntree to discuss the evolution of search.LLMs have transformed search, pushing the ad industry towards a zero-click era. With the declining importance of search engine rankings, Amy outlines what replaces click-through as the number brands should actually be watching. The conversation dives into whether generative engine optimisation (GEO) is a lasting, standalone discipline, or if it will eventually fold back into SEO once the market matures.•••0:00 Introduction1:53 Bringing GEO into SEO teams5:52 LLMs and zero-click search9:28 Optimising for LLMs vs. Google15:30 Combining GEO and paid ads23:21 Will GEO eventually collapse into SEO?

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover OpenAI expanding its ChatGPT ads pilot to 31 European markets, Apple’s latest spyware alert wave appearing to be its largest yet, according to a digital rights group, and Taboola striking an exclusive programmatic display deal with NBC News.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss critics arguing that Google’s new Search Console feature masks the decline in AI-driven traffic, Alibaba’s Qwen becoming the world’s most downloaded open-weight AI model, surpassing Meta and Google, and an IAB report finding that Australian agencies are pushing for greater transparency in programmatic DOOH.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Apple overhauling app tracking consent rules following a German antitrust probe, France’s top court blocking an under-15 social media ban in a setback to Macron, and Alibaba offloading its gaming unit Lingxi Games to Trustar Capital in a USD$1.5bn (£1.12bn) deal.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Apple training its own AI model for China with Alibaba’s help, Walmart Connect adding negative keyword controls for sponsored ads, and Audigent’s brand disappearing as Experian absorbs it into its marketing services division.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss investors betting on a USD$2tn (£1.50tn) IPO valuation for Anthropic and Tencent’s AI push sending capex soaring 176%. 

The real problem with mobile advertising isn’t creative – it’s what you can’t see. In this special episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire CEO Rachel Smith is joined by Thomas Bienias, agency and brand partnerships director at Kayzen, and Daniel Sichel, digital integration director at Hearts & Science (Omnicom), to discuss what CMOs and agencies should be asking their DSP partners in 2026.Many advertisers buy mobile inventory through broad DSPs, rather than DSPs built specifically for app environments. The conversation explores the challenges agencies face around creativity and fee transparency, as well as the benefits of partnering with a specialist mobile DSP. It also looks into how media, creative, and measurement teams can they come together to drive better outcomes and prove what's actually working.•••0:00 Introduction4:15 What drives performance within mobile environments?9:29 Incrementality and post-install measurement15:40 Specialist vs. generalised DSPs18:33 Mobile advertising and business outcomes27:53 Privacy in mobile advertising34:18 Creative formats for mobile and in-app40:10 Mobile advertising, tech stacks, and DSPs

In today's MadTech Daily, we discuss French publishers taking Google to the competition regulator over AI Overviews, Perplexity moving to block Time's ads aimed at AI agents, and Disney+ and Hulu adding iHeartMedia video podcasts as streaming platforms race into the format. 

In this MadTech Podcast mini special, Ciaran O'Kane of ExchangeWire and FirstPartyCapital joins John Still to discuss Nielsen acquiring DoubleVerify.Under Nielsen, DoubleVerify keeps its brand and remains fairly independent, similar to how IAS has stayed standalone. Given that DoubleVerify's neutrality has been core to advertiser trust, the conversation explores if being owned by a currency provider like Nielsen creates a conflict, or if it strengthens the case for one verified number across measurement and verification.Does the deal give the industry more leverage to set standards that stick? Or will consolidating measurement and verification under one roof reduce the competitive pressure needed to push accuracy and transparency forward?•••0:00 Nielsen acquires DoubleVerify in $2.15bn ad measurement deal0:55 Does the deal make Nielsen an end-to-end media intelligence platform?3:48 What might consolidation do to independent verification?5:31 What does the deal mean for the health of M&A in the industry?8:51 Do the hold co's still have moves to make as they become one-stop shops?

In today's MadTech Daily, we discuss an appeals court allowing thousands of addiction lawsuits against Meta, Google, TikTok and Snap to proceed, YouTube raising the bar for creators to join its monetisation program, and Alibaba testing paid tiers for its Qwen AI assistant. 

In today's Digest, we discuss a New Mexico judge ordering Meta to pay an additional USD$567m (£419.5m) over child safety issues,Burnham fast-tracking subscription trap crackdown as cost-of-living tour begins, and YouTube extending its shopping affiliate program to UK creators.

In today's MadTech Daily, we discuss Nielsen acquiring DoubleVerify in a $2.15 billion deal, eBay leaning into live shopping as it chases Whatnot and TikTok Shop, and AANA and ADMA merging to form the new Marketing Association of Australia.

In today's MadTech Daily, we discuss Amazon's ad revenue reaching USD$76bn (£57.04bn), Disney's TikTok creator content deal, and DeepSeek raising prices amid surging AI demand.

In this special episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire COO Lindsay Rowntree is joined by Matt Bourn, director of communications at the Advertising Association and co-author of 'Trusted Advertising: How to Harness the Value of Trust in your Brand'.Matt explains the importance of trust in advertising and how brands can build and measure it, citing real-world examples such as Tesco and McDonald's. The conversation covers the role of social media creators and influencers, online channels, and emerging technologies in whether audiences trust the ads that they see. It also explores shifting public perceptions of advertising and the evolution of the meaning of trust.•••0:00 Introduction3:56 What made you write about trust in advertising?6:55 Do brands understand the importance of trust?10:53 Can brands rebuild lost trust?13:32 How do you measure trust outcomes?17:51 Creator and influencer marketing23:27 Public trust in advertising25:50 Online channels and ad placement29:32 Role of AI and emerging technologies36:18 Evolution of the meaning of trust

In today's MadTech Daily, we discuss Apple's escalation of its OpenAI trade secrets case, including its request for an injunction and expedited discovery, OpenAI's integration with AppsFlyer to bring in-app measurement to ChatGPT Ads and, Snapchat's push to attract small businesses with a more focused advertising platform

In today's MadTech Daily, we discuss Apple expanding its OpenAI data theft claims, Apple's challenge to the UK's encryption data demands, and the Australian ad market's return to growth.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Australia’s plan to tax Meta over news payments, podcast industry revenue reaching USD$7.3bn, far exceeding previous estimates, and India’s mobile app revenue hitting a record USD$345m, driven by AI and streaming.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover the IAB Tech Lab releasing AAMP 2.3 to bring agentic advertising into production, ByteDance projecting USD$4bn (£3.16bn) in AI revenue, and a Singapore panel rejecting social media age bans.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover ChatGPT and Roblox facing the EU’s toughest platform rules, Elon Musk settling X’s ad group lawsuit, and Meta’s shares falling amid investor concerns over rising AI spending.

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, Josh Hill, senior director, head of optimisation EMEA at Kepler Group, joins ExchangeWire's John Still and Grainne Reid to discuss OpenAI hacking Hugging Face, Google's €890m EU fine, and the Paramount-Warner Bros deal.The first story this week is an autonomous OpenAI agent hacking into AI startup Hugging Face. The conversation explores the need for more AI standards and guardrails, and how AI might impact the future of media buying. The second covers the EU finally showing its regulatory teeth and imposing an €890m fine on Google over search and app store breaches.Finally, a judge has temporarily blocked Paramount Skydance's bid to acquire Warner Bros Discovery. Will the deal still go through? And what might a united Paramount-Warner Bros mean for the future of TV ad buying?•••0:00 Introduction0:57 OpenAI hacks Hugging Face10:09 EU fines Google €890m over DMA breaches16:20 Judge halts Paramount-Warner Bros deal

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover UK ad spend rising 9.3% in Q1 2026 to reach £11.7bn, Unilever raising its full-year guidance after its strongest sales volume growth in 16 years, and Netflix overtaking the BBC as UK viewers’ first choice, according to Ofcom. 

In today’s Digest, we cover digital publisher revenues falling 4.55% in Q1 2026 as AI disruption bites, Shein swinging to a US$99m quarterly loss ahead of its Hong Kong IPO, and Amazon Ads and Octave striking a deal to bring News UK’s audio brands to Amazon DSP. 

In today’s Digest, we look at China fining Trip.com US$765m for monopolistic conduct, WBD taking Amazon to court over alleged executive poaching, and a podcast industry coalition proposing new standards for measurement and attribution.

In today MAdTech Daily....

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at the court pausing the Paramount–Warner Bros. deal despite DOJ clearance, Google burning through US$6bn as AI spending soars, and Nine cutting publishing jobs as it accelerates its digital shift.

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire's head of content, John Still, is joined by Attekmi CEO Roman Vrublivskyi and chief product officer Olena Chudinovych to discuss falling publisher ad supply and OpenAI's ad revenue forecast. The first story this week covers the decline in publisher ad request volumes, driven by zero-click AI search. How can publishers address this, and what is the future of the open web and programmatic in the agentic era? The conversation then explores how the LLM ad market might progress in the next few years, taking into account projected chatbot ad revenues, with OpenAI on pace to miss its own forecast by approximately 90%.Finally, Roman and Olena share more about Attekmi and how they are working to solve the pressing issues they're seeing in ad tech today.•••0:00 Introduction1:37 Publisher ad request volumes fall by up to 41% in Q211:08 OpenAI's ad business on pace to miss own forecast22:11 More on Attekmi and the ad tech industry

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Omnicom Media merging Hearts & Science and Mediahub into a new global network, a judge approving Anthropic’s $1.5bn settlement, and M+C Saatchi ANZ heading for a management buyout amid steep local losses.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover a judge halting the Paramount-Warner Bros. deal amid an antitrust challenge, Google integrating Local Services Ads into Search, and AliExpress vowing to appeal a €550m EU fine.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover a new study finding AI is accelerating the collapse of Google Search referral traffic, the EU fining AliExpress €550m over failures to police illegal and counterfeit products, and Beehiiv launching Community and AI Copilot as it expands beyond newsletters.

In today’s Digest, we discuss Stagwell bringing ad inventory curation in-house with a new AI platform, the EU forcing Google to open Android AI and Search to rivals under the Digital Markets Act, and Chinese AI lab Moonshot narrowing the gap with leading US frontier models.