MadTech Daily: Stagwell Acquires Freestar in Supply-Side Push; Anthropic Files for IPO as Losses Mount

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Affle agreeing to acquire Perion in a USD$420m all-cash deal, DoorDash making a USD$17bn offer for Instacart in a grocery delivery mega-deal, and Alphabet shares falling 13% in a record USD$500bn rout as AI spending and search concerns weigh on the company.

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire's head of marketing, Grainne Reid, is joined by CEO Rachel Smith and COO Lindsay Rowntree to discuss Netflix Ad Suite, Meta's $25bn fine, and Anthropic's new consultancy.The first story this week covers Netflix's ad measurement updates and the role of streaming and CTV in media plans. The second is Meta's $25 billion fine tied to the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal. The conversation examines why people are still spending on Meta, and if the penalties will have a significant enough impact for the company to change their business practices.Finally, Anthropic is backing a new European consultancy selling AI expertise to companies in the region. How might this impact the agency model, and is it the agencies' job to advise clients on AI strategy?•••0:00 Introduction1:28 Netflix announces ad measurement updates15:17 New Mexico judge fines Meta $25bn25:16 Anthropic launches European consultancy

In today’s MadTech Daily UK ad spend is forecast to hit £14.0bn in Q4 as the full-year forecast climbs to £51.3bn, Meta promises full consultation with publishers as backlash over its scraping terms grows, and Alphabet posts 25% revenue growth on cloud and AI demand, but shares slide after hours.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Anthropic’s IPO filing revealing that its advertising spend rose to USD$147m (£112m) in 2025, Meta planning a USD$95bn (£71.73bn) stock raise to fund its AI push as Elon Musk warns of a shakeout among AI cloud providers, and Comcast moving FreeWheel and Universal Ads under NBCUniversal.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss Stagwell acquiring Freestar to expand further into the supply side of ad tech, Anthropic filing for an IPO and revealing rapid revenue growth alongside heavy losses, and Instacart reportedly exploring a sale, with DoorDash and Uber among the potential buyers.

In today’s MadTech Daily, Anthropic teams up with Hg to launch a European AI consultancy, DeepSeek raises $15bn as it tries to close the gap with US AI rivals, and WPP’s chief AI officer says shopping bots could reshape who brands are selling to.

What does a reimagined approach to targeting look like? Is a new prediction economy emerging in advertising? In this mailbag edition of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire CEO Rachel Smith and COO Lindsay Rowntree join John Still, head of content, to answer our listeners' burning questions on ad tech and media. They also examine Apple's explanation of its latest ad tech restrictions...Thank you to Azerion's Roxanne Harley and DAIVID's Barney Worfolk-Smith for this month's questions!•••0:00 Introduction0:49 Apple defends ad tech restrictions2:39 Ciaran interrupts…3:14 … back to Lindsay’s point13:28 Mindset & receptivity marketing23:09 The prediction economy35:49 British pop stars and wine

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Netflix expanding its ad measurement capabilities, Spotify reaching 306 million paid subscribers in Q3, and Meta growing revenue by 26% as Muse costs mount.

In today’s MadTech Daily, Publicis reaches settlement with the FTC over its planned LiveRamp acquisition, a New Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $25bn (£19bn) in penalties over misleading users on privacy, and retail media firm Kevel raises $52m (£19bn) and eyes acquisitions

In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: Australia moves to sue Meta, TikTok, Snap and Google over enforcement of its under-16 social media ban, Spotify launches paid memberships to help podcasters monetise their biggest fans, and Spark Foundry research finds 25-to-34-year-olds are the toughest consumers for UK brands to win over