The MadTech Podcast

On today’s MadTech Daily we discuss Bedrock Platform piloting Index Exchange’s new Index Cloud, the Consumer Federation of America suing Meta Platforms over alleged scam advertising practices, and Radiocentre urging MPs to reject advertising on BBC platforms.

On today’s MadTech Daily we cover California filing a price-fixing legal claim against Amazon, Singapore proposing a global standard for generative AI testing, and Apple naming John Ternus as CEO successor to Tim Cook.

On today’s MadTech Daily we cover Meta planning to begin a new round of layoffs on 20th May, the White House and Anthropic holding “productive” AI talks, and ByteDance’s profit being hit by AI costs despite an overseas surge.

Today's MadTech Daily covers advertisers reporting prices dropping for ads on ChatGPT, Google holding discussions with the Pentagon for a Gemini deal, as well as the BBC and Bauer Media planning massive workforce cuts.

In this special episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire CEO Rachel Smith is joined by Jaren Loy, business marketing lead at Fairprice in Singapore. They discuss the value and challenges of retail media, from the availability of first party data to cross-channel measurement for proving better outcomes, and how the APAC market compares to other regions. Based on a panel for ATS Singapore 2026: Retail Media Reality Check: Building Networks, Data Pipes & In‑Store Scale. Retail media in APAC is exploding, but standards, tech stacks, and measurement are still evolving. This discussion covers in‑store screens, loyalty engines, data monetisation, and partner evaluation. Speakers explore how they’re navigating the region’s dominant walled‑garden commerce ecosystems. A session that dives into what it takes to build a retail media business in APAC. 0:00 Introduction 1:57 Current state of APAC’s retail media landscape 6:34 Challenges for advertisers, marketers, and retail media network owners 10:23 Measurement and standards in retail media 14:33 How retail media fits into the broader commerce ecosystem in APAC 19:53 Cross-channel strategies for brands and retailers 23:35 What differentiates APAC from global markets 26:28 Where retail media is headed in the next 12 months

Today’s MadTech Daily covers OpenAI building a tool to track ChatGPT ad conversions, UK MPs voting down under-16 social media ban for a second time, and Publicis’ CEO ruling out launching a rival for The Trade Desk.

On today’s MadTech Daily we cover Netflix’s plan to refocus on ads and content after its Warner bid, the IAB unveiling guidelines for AI-driven commerce media, and WPP reportedly launching talks to sell Burson, its PR arm

On today’s MadTech Daily we cover Meta set to overtake Google in ad revenue for the first time, Publicis marking its 20th consecutive growth quarter despite momentum slowing, and Freely launching FAST ‘Spotlight Channels’.

Today's MadTech Daily looks at the FTC moving toward a settlement in an ad boycott investigation, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ordering Meta to face a youth addiction lawsuit, and YouTube raising Premium prices.

On today’s MadTech Daily we cover OpenAI launching its Ads Manager and lowering the minimum spend for its ads pilot, Meta removing ads recruiting plaintiffs in social media addiction lawsuits amid rising legal pressure, and YouTube's 90-second unskippable ads amid a CTV push.

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

Today’s MadTech Daily covers Tubi pioneering a ChatGPT-native app launch, Microsoft and Publicis deepening their partnership on agentic marketing, and Paramount debuting a publishing arm amid the exit of a president.

Today’s MadTech Daily covers a leadership shake-up at The Trade Desk as its CMO and other executives depart, BBC Studios rolling out an airline streaming platform, and Tesco Media pushing into video ads to blend storytelling with shoppable moments.

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?

Today’s MadTech Daily covers Publicis acquiring 160/90 to expand its sports marketing capabilities and Ackman targeting €55bn takeover of Universal Music Group in bid to unlock value. We also look at Netflix launching a kids gaming app while an Italian court rules its price hikes illegal.

In today's MadTech Daily, we look at OpenAI's purchase of TBPN, CNN developing its own agentic infrastructure in preparation for AI-driven media transactions, and Elon Musk's alleged attempts to make banks associated with the SpaceX IPO subscribe to Grok.

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?

On today’s MadTech Daily we cover UK social media use falling as video apps rise, ad spend in Australia dropping 3% year-to-date despite a 22.5% streaming boost from the Nine Olympics, and WPP Media launching ‘YouTube 5K’.

Today’s MadTech Daily covers OpenAI raising USD$3bn from retail investors in a USD$122bn funding round, Anthropic set to sign a deal with Australia on AI safety and economic data tracking, as well as Elon Musk being ordered to face a class action lawsuit over the late disclosure of his Twitter stake.

Today’s MadTech Daily covers Australia’s eSafety Commission warning of ‘major gaps’ in the enforcement of the country’s under-16 social media ban, California defying Trump’s demands on AI with the introduction of a new executive order, and Disney+ striking its latest European deal with Italy’s Rai.