MadTech Daily: Google Set to Double AI Spend to $185bn After Strong Earnings; Netflix Reaches 61% of UK Households, Barb; Baidu Unveils its First Dividend

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 Introduction1:27 Amazon unveils MCP12:15 OpenAI testing ChatGPT ads21:39 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 today’s MadTech Daily, we cover the DOJ appealing the Google search monopoly ruling, WeChat blocking a Tencent AI chatbot giveaway, and Netflix and Warner Bros struggling over a potential merger.

In today’s Digest, we look at Amazon opening its ad stack to AI agents, Uber returning to Asia via Macau, and Publicis Groupe ending 2025 on a high.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover OpenAI setting a $200,000 minimum spend for ChatGPT advertising, Alibaba’s Qwen heating up the AI app race, and Sky research suggesting the UK could fully shift to internet TV in the 2030s.

On today’s MadTech Daily, we cover the IAB forecasting 9.5% US ad spend growth in 2026 driven by digital and agentic AI, OpenAI eyeing USD$40bn (£29.6bn) in funding from Nvidia, Amazon, and Microsoft, as well as  Nine selling 2GB and 3AW to Arthur Laundy.

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 media8:47 Role of the agency16:40 Data collaboration & advertising29:55 Retail media success in 2-3 years

On today’s MadTech Daily we cover Meta planning to nearly double its AI investment amidst Q4 revenue growth, Thailand moving to tighten advertiser verification, and OpenAI teaming with Booking.com for a new UK programme.

Today’s MadTech Daily covers the UK pressuring Google over AI Overview opt-outs for websites, Google axing YouTube vs TV viewing comparisons, and UK advertising hitting £12.5bn in Q3, up 11.4%.

On today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Meta testing premium subscriptions across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp as well as Google agreeing to a USD$68m settlement over voice assistant privacy claims, while it receives guidance from the EU about how to help search rivals. We also cover YouTubers suing Snap over AI-related copyright infringement.