The MadTech Podcast

Today's MadTech Daily covers Anthropic suing the US Defense Department, Meta's Oversight Board finding its deepfake moderation is falling short, and a new feature on Barb's Ads Hub.  

*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...

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. 

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 Netf...

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 today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Amazon eyeing a role in chatbot ad sales, News Corp landing a USD$50m (£37m) AI deal with Meta, and 85% of Europeans using ad-supported streaming.

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 st...

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 today’s MadTech Daily, we cover video-on-demand services facing new Ofcom regulation in the UK, Canva buying animation and marketing startups, and OOH hitting record revenue in 2025.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Germany backing social media curbs for children, the DOJ probing Netflix’s market power in its Warner deal review, and the Motion Picture Association sending a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance over Seedance 2.0.

On today’s MadTech Daily we look at eBay acquiring Depop for USD$1.2bn, Amazon overtaking Walmart in annual revenue, and Scopely agreeing a $1bn deal for a Turkish game developer.

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...

On today’s MadTech Daily we cover Omnicom posting a USD$941m Q4 loss following its IPG deal, WPP launching a new advertising intelligence framework, and YouTube becoming the UK’s leading living-room screen, according to a study.

Today's MadTech Daily covers Perplexity stopping ads to protect AI trust, Havas posting APAC gains in a ‘transformative’ year, and Nvidia landing a multibillion-dollar deal with Meta.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Starmer targeting youth social media access, Ireland’s DPC probing X over Grok imagery, and Ad Net Zero’s young leaders making new recommendations. We also look at Warner Bros giving Paramount a final bid deadline

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover ByteDance scaling back its AI video app following a Disney warning, the Alliance of Independent Agencies launching a Middle East chapter with 23 founding members, and new data showing backlash to Six Nations in-game ads.

Google is facing renewed antitrust scrutiny from EU regulators over its search advertising auctions, as Alibaba’s Qwen app demonstrates massive scale by processing 120 million orders in just six days, and Saudi-backed Savvy Games Group enters talks to acquire Moonton, the gaming studio owned by ByteDance.

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 fra...

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at the IPA Census 2025 showing staff declines and diversity gains, Amazon eyeing a marketplace for AI content deals, and Spotify profits soaring after raising prices.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Paramount’s latest attempt to buy WBD; Alphabet planning a 100-year sterling bond sale, Apple and Google proposing App Store changes after a CMA probe