In this special episode of The MadTech Podcast, Chris Walker, public and external affairs director at the Advertising Association (AA), joins ExchangeWire COO Lindsay Rowntree to examine UK advertising regulation around areas such as HFSS and gambling, and how the relationship between the industry and government has changed in the past decade.

*Chris joined us at ATS London 2026 last month, speaking on a panel about The Cost of Playing Safe: Unlocking Revenue Through Trust, Standards and Regulation.

UK advertising spend is forecast to surpass $50bn in 2026, yet the industry has never had to justify its existence as much as it has to today. With restrictions on less-healthy food advertising and Andy Burnham's new government coming into play, they discuss how the industry can engage constructively on public health while making the case against further restrictions.

The UK system relies on the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) codes, which the industry funds and writes. As more spend moves to global tech platforms and creators, it prompts the question of whether self-regulation can stay credible, or if policy work will move the UK towards a more statutory model.

The AA lists public trust in advertising among its main priorities. The conversation explores what has actually moved the dial on trust, and if restrictions on advertising boost or hinder creativity. And when economic growth and harm reduction pull in different directions, how can the industry help policymakers weigh the two, and what does it offer in return?

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss SPUR unveiling an AI content tracking standard, Singapore’s digital economy reaching USD$113bn (£84.75bn), and YouTube putting original content first in its Shorts algorithm

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Skydance uniting Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, Apple moving to block hundreds of programmatic data firms, and the EU preparing to classify Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services as DMA gatekeepers.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Google testing publisher payments for AI Search, a European TV initiative targeting programmatic barriers, and Goalhanger bringing advertising in-house.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss 58% of ad executives expecting agentic buying to scale within a year, Apple and Amazon facing a renewed UK consumer case, and A24, Sony and The New York Times circling Letterboxd.

In today’s Digest, we discuss McDonald’s betting on a USD$1bn (£750m) ad business as it joins the commerce-media gold rush, Temu cutting a USD$1bn (£750m) fake influencer network on Meta, and TikTok settling with Alabama for USD$100m (£75m) over teen use.

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire's head of marketing, Grainne Reid, is joined by COO Lindsay Rowntree and John Still, head of content. They discuss Google's ad tech rules, OOH advertising growth, and John Lewis launching a YouTube chatshow.

The first story covers Judge Leonie Brinkema's assessment on the DOJ's proposal to break up Google's ad tech business, and what the ruling means for advertisers. The second is out of home advertising in Q2 showing +12.7% revenue growth from the same period last year. The conversation explores drivers of OOH growth, and whether it will continue on the same trajectory without World Cup activations.

Finally, John Lewis is launching an online chatshow with the aim of improving its visibility in AI search. How should retailers be adapting their marketing strategies in the age of chatbots and social media?

•••
0:00 Introduction
1:23 US judge says Google should relax ad tech rules
11:57 Out of Home advertising reports +12.7% revenue growth in Q2
22:16 John Lewis to launch YouTube chatshow to improve AI search results

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Shopify tapping Meta’s Muse for agentic checkout, Brian O’Kelley’s startup pivoting to AI agents, and a Microsoft patent revealing plans to pause games for ads.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at Paramount clearing a legal hurdle ahead of its Warner merger, Amazon blocking Meta’s AI assistant in an agentic shopping standoff, and Ant Group reshaping Alipay for agentic commerce.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss the global programmatic DOOH market reaching $1.34bn, Shein shares sinking to a post-IPO low after an underperform rating, and Ozone launching Arc to enter performance marketing. 

Aly Nurmohamed, founder and CEO of Nodals AI, and Christer Ljones, director of advertising data capabilities at Schibsted, joined ExchangeWire COO Lindsay Rowntree before ATS London to discuss the future of the open web and which parts of it are worth fighting for.

The open web was never one thing. It was premium publishers and everyone else, served by the same ad tech, with the good publishers effectively subsidising the rest. AI changes the terms of that arrangement because the models are becoming open and commoditised while the data is not. If the moat is the data rather than the model, the publishers with the closest relationships to consumers are suddenly the ones best placed to build advertising products, provided they own the system rather than rent it.

Schibsted made that bet early, in 2019, before AI made it obvious. Nodals exists because of what that bet revealed. That’s the story of this episode.

•••
0:00 Introduction
3:17 GDPR and Criteo: Nodals AI's origin story
9:45 Premium publishers and first party data
12:35 AI, ad tech, and the open web
16:06 Building data and consumer relationships
21:07 Publishers vs. Meta advertising
27:41 Where do publishers sit within the open web?
35:21 The next few years for publishing

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover the global programmatic DOOH market reaching USD$1.34bn (£1bn), Shein shares sinking to a post-IPO low after an underperform rating, and Ozone launching Arc to enter performance marketing.

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 Introduction
1:43 Differences in parental support across platforms
7:04 Impact of social media ban on youth media plans
10:58 Where might attention and ad spend shift to?
13:53 Legislation, age verification, and brand safety
18:08 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 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 Introduction
1:15 Meta agrees to $18bn child safety settlement
12:35 California cancels talks with Paramount over Warner Bros deal
19:23 OpenAI’s ad business hits $1bn annualised revenue run rate

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 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 Introduction
1:50 WPP escalates legal fight with Richard Foster
15:49 Apple to revise app data consent rules
26:19 YouTube raises threshold for new creators; changes how it counts views
34:05 Weekly Quiz: Which British celebrity recently advised people to delete TikTok?
35:48 Happy US National Dog Day!

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 Introduction
1:53 Bringing GEO into SEO teams
5:52 LLMs and zero-click search
9:28 Optimising for LLMs vs. Google
15:30 Combining GEO and paid ads
23:21 Will GEO eventually collapse into SEO?

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 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 Introduction
4:15 What drives performance within mobile environments?
9:29 Incrementality and post-install measurement
15:40 Specialist vs. generalised DSPs
18:33 Mobile advertising and business outcomes
27:53 Privacy in mobile advertising
34:18 Creative formats for mobile and in-app
40:10 Mobile advertising, tech stacks, and DSPs

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 Introduction
3:56 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 marketing
23:27 Public trust in advertising
25:50 Online channels and ad placement
29:32 Role of AI and emerging technologies
36:18 Evolution of the meaning of trust

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 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’s MadTech Daily, we cover Uber and Delivery Hero joining forces, Stripe and Advent launching a $53bn bid for PayPal, and DoorDash integrating with Shopify.

On this week's MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire COO Lindsay Rowntree and CEO Rachel Smith join John Still to discuss Netflix’s short-form ambitions, Sky’s purchase of ITV and what went down at ATS Singapore...

Netflix Strikes Short-Form Video Deals with Major Publishers (Straits Times)

Netflix has signed licensing deals with Penske Media, BuzzFeed Studios, Condé Nast, Hearst and People Inc. for short-form video (2–20+ minutes), launching August 3 across the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. 

They define short-form as 2-20 mins, and this move comes on the back of YouTube overtaking Netflix in daily viewing time and TikTok closing the gap…

ITV Sells Media & Entertainment Arm to Comcast's Sky for £1.6bn (Reuters)

ITV has agreed to sell its broadcast channels and streaming service to Comcast-owned Sky for up to £1.6bn, spinning ITV Studios off separately. 

The combined Sky/ITV entity would command over 70% of UK TV advertising and aims to compete with global streamers, though regulators may force Sky to give up its third-party ad sales business.

ATS Singapore Wrap-Up

We’re back from a successful ATS Singapore - we had over 1000 guests present to discuss the issues, challenges and opportunities for our industry…

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Brussels ramping up pressure on Meta over its alleged "addictive" platform design, Google expanding AI disclosure rules across Search, YouTube, and Discover ads, and an export control gap that has reportedly allowed OpenAI and Google services to reach blacklisted Chinese firms.

It's an exciting MadTech Podcast this week as ExchangeWire's Lindsay Rowntree and John Still are joined in-person by our APAC/MENA Editor Charlotte Mceleny, as they record on location in Singapore.

Former WPP China Executive Gets Life Sentence for Advertising Kickbacks
Di Fei, former chief investment officer at GroupM's China operations, has been sentenced to life in prison over a bribery scheme in which he and colleagues allegedly received 1.2 billion yuan (~$176 million) in kickbacks between 2019 and 2023. Two colleagues also received lengthy sentences - 14.5 years and four years respectively.

Australia's ACCC Sues Amazon Over Unfair Prime Video Ad Contract Terms
Australia's competition regulator, the ACCC, is suing Amazon over unfair contract terms affecting more than one million annual Prime subscribers. It alleges Amazon used five one-sided clauses to introduce ads into Prime Video from mid-2024 without offering refunds, forcing subscribers to pay extra to keep an ad-free service they'd already paid for upfront.

Shopee and Meta Launch Instagram Affiliate Partnerships
Shopee and Meta have extended their Facebook affiliate program to Instagram, letting eligible creators across Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Brazil tag Shopee products in Reels and Feed posts and earn commissions on completed purchases. The companies are also piloting paid affiliate ads, as Shopee builds out creator-led commerce to counter TikTok Shop's growth.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Netflix expanding its short-form video offering through publisher content deals, YouTube becoming the UK's leading podcast platform, and OpenAI launching the GPT-Live-1 voice model for ChatGPT.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at Vista and Quinti making a takeover bid for Criteo, LiveRamp launching its first brand campaign following its Publicis deal, and Outvertising searching for a new CEO after Chris Dunne steps down.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Sony’s plan to end PlayStation disc production in 2028, and Google being ordered to pay Klarna USD$1.5bn (£1.19bn).

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire's head of content, John Still, and COO Lindsay Rowntree discuss Walmart acquiring Vibe.co, AppFlyer's $1B raise, and John's takeaways from Cannes.

The first story this week is Walmart's acquisition of Vibe.co to expand access to connected TV advertising. Their conversation looks into the convergence of CTV and retail media, leading up to the retail media panel Lindsay will be moderating at ATS Singapore next Wednesday. The second covers AppFlyer's $1B raise from advertising and technology leaders Moloco, Google, Meta, and Unity.

Finally, fresh from sunny Cannes, John shares his anecdotes, insights, and takeaways from the hot conversations that took place on La Croisette...

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Shopee and Meta teaming up on Instagram affiliates, the UK regulator targeting Apple and Google’s app store payment rules, and TAG demonetising World Cup pirate sites.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Albertsons introducing advertising within its AI shopping experience, Forbes testing a creator-led strategy to expand its reach, plus the biggest announcements, deals, and talking points emerging from Cannes.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at Uber expanding its advertising business beyond its own apps, Electronic Arts launching an in-game advertising platform, and Walmart expanding retail media measurement across YouTube campaigns.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Fox agreeing to a USD$22bn Roku Deal to boost streaming, Pinterest adding Amazon storefront links, and e-commerce giant Coupang being fined a record sum over a data breach.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover ChatGPT Ads landing its first Conversion API partner in LiveRamp, Seven’s parent company cutting jobs as TV earnings fall, and Amazon DSP integrating Adelaide attention targeting.

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire's head of marketing, Grainne Reid, is joined by COO Lindsay Rowntree and John Still, head of content.

The first story this week is MENA becoming the world's fastest-growing digital advertising market. The team discuss the biggest categories in the region and their expectations for future growth. The second covers the CMA imposing new measures on Google search, and whether this affords publishers greater protection in the AI era.

Finally, UK ad exports recorded a £19.4bn milestone in 2025. Is the UK proud enough of its advertising industry, and what's being done to further promote it?

•••
July 8th, Sands Expo & Convention Centre. ATS Singapore 2026. This year marks fifteen years of ExchangeWire bringing together the people who actually run this industry in APAC. We’ve got some great speakers lined up, including Index Exchange CEO Andrew Casale, on stage in conversation with Ciaran O’Kane.

That's before you factor in the rest of the people on stage and in the room: senior buyers, sellers, traders, and decision-makers. This is where the industry figures out what it's going to do next, and you need to be in the room.

Secure your ticket now → https://events.exchangewire.com/ATSSingapore2026 
•••

0:00 Introduction
0:53 MENA digital advertising spend hits $8.185bn
6:35 Maturity of MENA ecosystem vs. other markets
9:05 CMA imposes conduct requirement on Google
18:16 Is Google being made an example of?
21:08 ATS Singapore 2026 speaker lineup
22:58 UK ad exports hit £19.4bn

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at MENA becoming the fastest-growing advertising market, Whalar joining Accenture in an acquisition deal, and VCCP unveiling a new retail media offering alongside an ECD appointment.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover the SPUR Coalition welcoming 30 new members at the World News Media Congress, and Peer39 strengthening its verification offering through a deal with Adloox, and Malaysia’s under-16 social media ban taking effect on 1st June.

In today’s Digest, we discuss Walmart teaming up with Yahoo and Magnite on an ad tech overhaul, Meta renewing its funding pledge for the Oversight Board, and Anthropic nearing a USD$1tn valuation ahead of an IPO.

In this special episode of The MadTech Podcast, Dave Barr and Nick Fletcher, co-founders of TruTxt, join ExchangeWire's John Still to discuss localisation and monetisation of international publisher traffic.

TruTxt is FirstPartyStudio’s first incubation supported by FirstPartyCapital. The AI-powered platform helps publishers grow international audiences, improve engagement, and increase revenue through real-time content translation, localisation, and advertising optimisation infrastructure.

Dave and Nick discuss the challenges faced by the publishing industry and the global traffic dilemma. While digital publishers are attracting an increasingly global audience, non-local language traffic is often deprioritised. As content consumption shifts towards multimedia, translation and localisation will unlock more opportunities for publishers to regrow lost traffic and revenue.

0:00 Introduction
2:51 What are the challenges faced by publishers?
6:38 Barriers to monetising international traffic
9:03 Revenue and opportunities in content translation 
15:32 Applications of content localisation in different sectors
17:02 How is AI being used to scale technology?  
20:33 AI translation in multimedia and video

In today’s Madtech Daily, we cover the Supreme Court rejecting Meta’s appeal in an addiction case, Instagram banning betting ads featuring Kane and Haaland, and an IPA report warning that ‘small thinking’ is hurting advertising.

How much did Publicis acquire LiveRamp for? What percentage of UK digital advertising businesses are using AI? What figure is Meta's ad revenue projected to hit in 2026?

In this quiz edition of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire's head of marketing is joined by John Still, head of content, and COO Lindsay Rowntree, with an all-time score of 3-0. 

The first story this week is Publicis Groupe acquiring data collaboration platform LiveRamp. The team discusses what this means for the industry and the agentic opportunities it presents for the agency holding group. The second explores the pace of AI adoption in digital advertising, and the regulations needed alongside its rapid acceleration. Finally, they examine Meta’s ad revenue growth, which is projected to rise in 2026 before slowing in 2027, and the possible reasons behind those figures.

*Lindsay was referring to Meta’s Advantage+, not Automated+

0:00 Introduction
1:12 How much did Publicis acquire LiveRamp for?
11:06 What percentage of UK digital advertising businesses are using AI?
23:25 What figure is Meta’s ad revenue projected to hit in 2026?

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Musk losing the OpenAI trial after a two-hour verdict, Google and Blackstone launching an AI cloud venture, and HBO Max debuting podcast content in Europe. 

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, Kashif Dalvi, digital strategy partner at the7stars, joins ExchangeWire COO Lindsay Rowntree and John Still, head of content.

The first story is Alibaba integrating Qwen into Taobao, its biggest e-commerce platform. They discuss if the future of search lies in fluid conversations, and compare the latest developments in AI and e-commerce across different regions. The second story covers Instagram's plans to expand into long-form CTV content, emulating YouTube.

Finally, Amazon data will become available on Netflix inventory in the UK and wider EMEA region from next week. What can advertisers gain from this integration, and which players stand to lose the most from it?

0:00 Introduction
1:24 Alibaba integrates Qwen into biggest e-commerce platforms
18:54 Instagram plans long-form content for CTV
29:44 Amazon data to become available on Netflix inventory

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire's head of marketing, Grainne Reid, is joined by COO Lindsay Rowntree and John Still, head of content.

The first story this week is the four tech giants collectively earning over $100bn in ad revenue in Q1 of 2026, with Alphabet in the lead. The team discuss areas of growth for the walled gardens and the 'squeeze' of the open web. The second dives into generational differences in news consumption habits, and how news brands can turn that trust into value for advertisers and agency partners. 

Finally, Omnicom has been testing live media buys with AI agents, cutting out the ad tech middlemen. What does this mean for agencies, and how dramatically could it change the ad tech landscape?

0:00 Introduction
0:58 How much did Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon earn in ad revenue in Q1?
9:45 How are different age groups accessing news?
20:01 How is agentic media buying changing the ad tech landscape?

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire's head of marketing, Grainne Reid, is joined by CEO Rachel Smith and COO Lindsay Rowntree.

Index Exchange has deployed the world's first containerised DSP on its new cloud infrastructure. The team discuss the technical side of Index Cloud and how it changes bid mechanics on the open web. The second story covers Meta's plans to extend its advertising offerings into CTV. Finally, they look into News UK's synthetic audience-planning tool, Times ExplorAItion, and the ways publishers are leveraging their first-party data to better target audiences.

0:00 Introduction
0:58 Bedrock Platform debuts first containerised DSP
15:12 Meta looks to CTV to fuel advertising growth
26:55 News UK launches tool with Times first-party data

What was the minimum spend commitment from advertisers on ChatGPT ads? Which marketing spend category was the standout performer in Q1 of 2026? What is the percentage of active social media users in the UK in 2026?

In this quiz edition of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire's head of marketing, Grainne Reid, is joined by COO Lindsay Rowntree and head of content, John Still. They look into advertising on AI platforms, the latest IPA Bellwether Report, and the decline of social media use in the UK.

---

0:00 Introduction
1:05 Price drops for ChatGPT ads
9:51 IPA Bellwether Report: Q1 2026 marketing spend
20:36 Active UK social media users decreasing

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire editor Aimee Newell Tarín is joined by CEO Rachel Smith and head of content, John Still. They look into OpenAI's foray into media ownership, an AI-publishing crossover, and the streaming market.

The first story this week is OpenAI's acquisition of the tech and business talk show, Technology Business Programming Network. The team discuss what this says about OpenAI's strategy, and what it means for TBPN. The second covers CNN International Commercial’s move into agentic infrastructure, and the opportunities and pitfalls of agentic transactions. Finally, a court in Rome has ruled that Netflix's price increases between 2017-2024 were illegal. Will this case set a global precedent for the streaming giant?

More industry insights & analysis at www.exchangewire.com

0:00 Introduction
1:00 OpenAI acquires TBPN
14:46 CNNIC builds in-house agentic infrastructure
28:19 Italian court rules Netflix price hikes illegal

In this special episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire CEO Rachel Smith is joined by Baptiste Graffin, VP of sales in APAC for Happydemics, to discuss brand building, brand lift, and performance. Their conversation looks at the importance of brand building beyond performance metrics, scaling and strategy in APAC markets, and data maturity in the region.

Forrester report: Happydemics Brand lift delivered 47% ROI → https://get.happydemics.com/happydemics-total-economic-impact

0:00 Introduction
6:21 What are the key things needed to build and scale a business in APAC?
16:23 How does Happydemics help brands and agencies prove advertising investment?
34:29 Is APAC seeing an increase in data maturity?
39:55 What is the future of the industry?

How can the ad tech industry create impact without precision targeting? What is the credibility of LLM visibility tools, and what are the barriers and accuracy of data? How likely is agent-to-agent buying in the future?

In this mailbag episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire editor Aimee Newell Tarín is joined by CEO Rachel Smith and COO Lindsay Rowntree to answer our listeners’ biggest questions about ad tech and media. They discuss the need to prove advertising value, the rise of generative engine optimisation, and how SSPs and DSPs are adapting for an AI agent-led environment.

Thank you to Generation Media's Lauren Whyman, eight&four's Chloe Singleton, and Responsible Marketing Advisory's Emily Roberts for this month's questions! 

Got a burning question for the ExchangeWire team? Drop your questions over to us and we'll answer in our next monthly mailbag special... https://forms.zohopublic.com/lindsay11/form/MadTechPodcastYourQuestionsAnswered/formperma/xpD2uD_a2V5POYx47TrUnf3ZCERYN28c1w6aS5RsuEE

0:00 Introduction
1:00 How can the industry create impact without precise, laser focused targeting?
2:26 Ciaran's chutney moment
3:22 Back on schedule
14:14 What is the credibility of tools that showcase LLM visibility information?
33:02 How likely is agent to agent buying? What does the future of the ad tech industry look like?

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire COO Lindsay Rowntree is joined by CEO Rachel Smith and Zac Selby, SVP of global solutions for data & technology at dentsu.

They look at IAB Australia’s 'Future of Measurement' initiative, Google securing a patent for AI-generated landing pages, and Apple introducing advertisements in Apple Maps.

0:00 Introduction
1:20 IAB Australia launches new initiative
12:51 Google patents right to replace landing pages
27:34 Apple to introduce ads in Maps

In this special episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire COO Lindsay Rowntree is joined by Rob McLaughlin, founder & CEO of AUDIENCES, and Sandy Ghuman, senior product manager for customer data & transformation at easyJet.

They look at the challenges of activating first party data, from complexities to cultural silos, and how brands can turn their data into meaningful signals.

0:00 Introduction
1:32 Challenges of data activation
19:54 Data collection & channel selection
30:57 Connecting different specialists
40:34 The next 3 years

At what figure did Axel Springer acquire the Telegraph? What percentage of ads served on ChatGPT were retail and grocery related? How many children are taking part in the UK's trial for a potential social media ban?

In this quiz edition of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire editor Aimee Newell Tarín is joined by COO Lindsay Rowntree and John Still, head of content. They look into M&A in publishing, advertising in AI, and social media restrictions for under-16s.

0:00 Introduction
1:06 Axel Springer acquires the Telegraph
11:31 ChatGPT's ads trial
28:29 UK trials social media restrictions

*This podcast was recorded before recent events across the Middle East, and as such makes no mention of the geopolitical situation in the region.

In this special episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire's head of content, John Still, is joined by Rad Arekat, founder of the Middle East Social Media & Digital Association (MESMDA). 

They discuss the changes and opportunities in MENA's social media and digital industry, areas of growth and spend, and the vision for the association.

Today’s MadTech Daily covers retail ads dominating on ChatGPT, Walmart announcing the phase-out of Vizio accounts on its TVs, and the Trump Administration drawing up new rules following its clash with Anthropic. 

Today’s MadTech Daily covers Axel Springer acquiring the Telegraph for £575m, Indonesia moving to implement a social media ban for under-16s, and the UK delaying AI copyright rule decisions. 

On today’s MadTech Daily we cover Amazon expanding its audience segments to Netflix, the BBC floating iPlayer as a home for rival broadcasters, and the ITV reporting its latest revenue figures. 

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire CEO Rachel Smith and COO Lindsay Rowntree join head of marketing, Grainne Reid, to discuss the agentic commerce and streaming landscapes.

They look into Meta's new shopping research tool and the conclusion to Netflix and Paramount's months-long battle to acquire Warner Bros Discovery.

0:00 Introduction
0:55 Meta tests AI shopping tool
13:47 Netflix withdraws WBD bid

In today’s Madtech Daily, we cover Meta trialling an AI shopping tool to challenge ChatGPT, Google planning to fill 150 tech roles in Singapore, Gemini, and eBay cutting 800 jobs, 6% of its workforce.

Today’s MadTech Daily covers the UK launching a consultation on a social media ban for under-16s, a Google patent hinting at AI-generated landing pages, and Roblox surpassing TikTok in Gen Z shopping growth.

Today’s MadTech Daily covers Netflix pulling out of the bidding war for Warner Bros, Dentsu naming Takeshi Sano as global CEO, and HubSpot expanding its media reach with a Starter Story deal.

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire editor Aimee Newell Tarín is joined by COO Lindsay Rowntree and co-founder & advisor Ciaran O’Kane to discuss streaming, retail, and out-of-home.

They look into Ofcom's regulation of video-on-demand platforms, backlash over in-game ads on the Six Nations debut, and Walmart’s AI-powered shopping assistant, Sparky.

0:00 Introduction
1:51 UK streamers face 'enhanced regulation'
11:14 Rugby fans riled over in-game ads
20:16 Walmart's AI boosts order value
31:20 2025 out-of-home revenue

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover WPP unveiling a £500m cost-cutting plan in an AI-led overhaul, ByteDance being valued at $550bn in a proposed General Atlantic stake sale, and UK news giants launching a ‘NATO for News’ AI coalition.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at DoorDash ending Deliveroo operations in Singapore, ITV Studios launching Studio 55 and opening its content library, as well as Apple rolling out global age-verification tools.

In our very first mailbag special, ExchangeWire’s head of marketing Grainne Reid is joined by CEO Rachel Smith and John Still, head of content, to answer our listeners’ biggest questions about ad tech and media.

The team put on their media planning hats, debating where they would allocate spend across retail & commerce media, CTV, and out-of-home. They also discuss the strengths of independent agencies versus holdcos, and unpack the legal and regulatory battles shaping the industry, from antitrust trials to social media bans.

0:00 Introduction
1:27 Kerry asks: Media planning
14:01 Steve asks: Agencies
26:16 Paul asks: Investigations & policy moves

How many UK households have a Netflix subscription? What percentage of Meta’s total revenue comes from scam ads? What was the smartphone usage rate in the UAE in 2025?

In this quiz edition of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire’s head of marketing Grainne Reid is joined by COO Lindsay Rowntree and John Still, head of content. They look into the changing TV and streaming landscape, tolerances for fraudulent ads (and insects in chocolate), and open web versus mobile advertising.

0:00 Introduction
1:14 SVOD subscription numbers
13:28 Meta scam ads revenue
21:15 Smartphone usage rates
26:01 MENA focus

In this special episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire CEO Rachel Smith is joined by Abdelnabi Alaedinne, regional director for digital & partnerships at UM MENAT, to discuss the evolving media and advertising landscape in MENA.

Their conversation delves into emerging trends in the region, critical skills for media planners and strategists to effectively utilise AI, and balancing AI-driven efficiency with human creativity and strategy.

0:00 Introduction; MENA media landscape
5:46 Role and impact of AI 
13:41 Optimisation and measurement value
27:19 Influence of planners & strategists
36:44 The next wave of media innovation

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Meta saying scam ads may account for 3–4% of revenue, Google doubling down on AI with a USD$185bn spend plan, and Alibaba’s Qwen topping China’s App Store after a bubble tea campaign.

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire’s head of marketing, Grainne Reid, is joined by COO Lindsay Rowntree and John Still, head of content, to discuss three shifts across the AI, advertising, and digital media landscapes.  

They look into Amazon Ads' Model Context Protocol, OpenAI's minimum spend for ChatGPT advertising, and Google shutting down an initiative comparing YouTube viewing with traditional TV and streaming.

0:00 Introduction
1:27 Amazon unveils MCP
12:15 OpenAI testing ChatGPT ads
21:39 Google halts Kantar & Barb initiative 

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Google set to double AI spending to USD$185bn (£137bn) after strong earnings, Netflix reaching 61% of UK households, according to Barb, and Baidu unveiling its first dividend alongside a USD$5bn (£3.7bn) buyback.

In this special episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire CEO Rachel Smith is joined by Mazen Mroueh, head of performance product & operations & retail media at Publicis Media in Dubai, to talk about the new phase of retail media.

Their conversation looks into shifting consumer behaviours and the move from monetisation to orchestration, exploring how agencies and data collaboration are driving a more sophisticated retail media ecosystem in the MENA region.

0:00 The new phase of retail media
8:47 Role of the agency
16:40 Data collaboration & advertising
29:55 Retail media success in 2-3 years

“If you think about GAM’s stranglehold, it’s over the open web, and the open web is in decline, so they can make the argument that [they’re] not really a monopoly.”

In this episode of the MadTech podcast, ExchangeWire editor Aimee Newell Tarín is joined by co-founder & advisor Ciaran O’Kane and head of content John Still to discuss the TV and video landscape, shifting consumer mindsets in e-commerce, and Google’s legal battles.

They look into the BBC’s new partnership with YouTube, Temu catching up with Amazon in global cross-border e-commerce, 5 US publishers filing lawsuits against Google, and Google appealing the verdict in its search antitrust case.

0:00 Introduction
1:32 BBC and YouTube announce partnership
10:52 E-commerce: Amazon & Temu
20:57 5 US publishers file lawsuits against Google
27:23 Google appeals US landmark antitrust ruling

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at the new ChatGPT ads, BBC teaming with YouTube, and Singapore changing laws to ease data sharing.

In this episode of the MadTech podcast, ExchangeWire’s head of marketing Grainne Reid is joined by head of content John Still and COO Lindsay Rowntree to discuss three major stories surrounding AI, consumer tech, and media power dynamics.

They look into Google’s new protocol for AI-driven commerce, Apple’s decision to tap Google’s Gemini for Siri, and Paramount’s lawsuit following Warner Bros’ rejection of its latest offer.

0:00 Introduction
0:56 Google announces Universal Commerce Protocol
13:53 Apple strikes deal with Google to use Gemini
19:50 Paramount sues Warner Bros over Netflix deal

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Google introducing a new AI commerce standard, Nvidia appointing its first-ever CMO, and Trump pushing back on Netflix’s Warner Bros. acquisition.

• How attention is reshaping the advertising ecosystem 
• The main benefits for advertisers using attention as a metric for paid social 
• Some of the challenges advertisers are facing when it comes to attention in paid social 
• How attention within the paid social landscape might develop in the coming years 

• What the boom in UGC tells us about consumer preferences 
• How the UGC boom will affect different players in the ad tech ecosystem 
• How potential risks from UGC content can be mitigated 
• How AI-enhanced search is likely to evolve over the next couple of years 
• How AI-enhanced search is affecting the media supply chain 
• Whether there will still be a place for search which is not AI-enhanced in the future  
• What the forecast can tell us about the retail media landscape 
• How challenges in retail media advertising can be overcome 

• The importance of engagement in today’s landscape 
• The strategic vision behind the content studio’s launch 
• The unique opportunities for brands offered by the studio 
• How publishers can leverage the studio’s data and insights to shape content strategies for advertisers 
• How the studio ensures branded content delivers reach and resonance to audiences  

• The current state of the ad tech job market 
• Advice for people trying to find their first job in ad tech 
• How candidates can make themselves stand out in the recruitment process 
• What the AdTech Connect initiative is bringing to the industry 

• The current state of social media
• New policies shaping the social media landscape 
• Why there’s still value in organic social content 
• How verification can address concerns around trust, authenticity and misinformation 
• What brands and advertisers should prioritise when planning their social strategies 

• The recent shifts that have taken place in the agency landscape 
• How AI is shaping the agency model 
• How AI is aiding creativity 
• The rise of independent agencies 
• What independence means for R/GA and the wider industry