Daily News Roundup

It’s the end of an IPO era for ad tech; Business Insider looks for solutions to its cratering traffic; and Amazon and Walmart’s AI chatbots face criticism.

Perplexity and other LLMs are mounting massive social influencer marketing campaigns. Also: Xbox is not giving up on its advertising ambitions.

Sports leagues swimming in gambling ads cry foul over their players being harassed by gamblers; news publishers consider pivoting to bot audiences; how AI agents are already ruining the web.

Google tests out a “pay per value” AI licensing scheme; Netflix, Amazon and YouTube join forces; and Apple may soon launch integrations with third-party LLMs.

McDonalds is hiring humans again; Madison and Wall predicts “unusually rapid” growth; and families want tech out of their schools.

The IAB raises its forecast for ad spend growth; Google continues to develop Meridian, its open-source MMM tool; and Partiful is still learning how to monetize.

Google must rework search in Europe to comply with the bloc’s Digital Markets Act. Plus: Brands are still trying to figure out how to advertise in video games.

Shunned by streamers, cable news builds its own app bundles; Grindr pays $35 million to settle a UK lawsuit over selling data to advertisers; and LG TVs can be hacked to record audio.

AI needs a babysitter: Google was outbid on Spirit Airlines’ data; and AI-generated food makes for terrible ads.

TikTok users can now include polls and videos in comments; vertical video app Shortical introduces AI ads; and Meta’s upcoming personal agent may cause more problems than solutions.

AI is creating new problems for advertisers; Amazon Prime’s new privacy feature irks customers; and the Trump administration sides with OpenAI in the copyright lawsuit brought forth by the NYT.

The FTC sues Amazon, alleging ad auction manipulation; some agencies are hyping that their ads are made by humans; and more people are paying for ad-free streaming.

ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox are big enough to be subject to the European Union’s Digital Services Act. And: The world considers social media bans for users under 16.

The second wave of retail media platforms are all about winning incremental new dollars. Plus: A peek into Validity’s “State of CRM Data Report 2026.”

Splashy new programmatic media sellers always seem to want an outlandish $60 CPM. And: ChatGPT doesn’t seem to have nailed down its ideal advertiser just yet.

Reuters wraps its series on Meta’s shrinking headcount; The Trade Desk has a new centralized AI interface; and USA Today Co. will restructure its content for bots.

This documentary streamer found new life as an AI trainer; the NFL is taking public shots at Nielsen, but is it a negotiating tactic?; and Nielsen’s new focus on 18+ audiences dings streaming viewership.

The potential for ads in robotaxis; Crocs is back to seeing year-over-year growth; and ad-free streaming tiers continue to grow more expensive.

Say hello to the Charity Action Network; marketers are maxxing like everyone else; and Discord is trying to gamify its ads.

What’s with the myriad of retail media networks?; YouTube offers creators millions to refuse deals with Netflix; and political advertisers get a free pass.

NBC News strikes an ad reseller deal with Taboola; a new short-form video app is born; and people care more about social video than TV.

Google’s Spirit Airlines data stockpile is feeding AI; ChatGPT’s advertiser switcheroo; and X’s rage-baiting isn’t the engagement signal advertisers are looking for.

Why prebiotic soda brand Poppi describes its marketing strategy as “community first.” Plus: Apple’s transformation into a Google-grade advertising machine continues apace.

Reddit’s readers don’t take kindly to being marketed to; What’s an online retailer without any retail?; and AI slop is affecting the news market.

Investors don’t care about the open web; publishers are hemorrhaging traffic; and Facebook is full of AI bros.

Walmart is providing negative keyword exclusion for its search advertising. Plus: As FIFA and broadcasters divvy up sports rights, there may be temptation to shift revenue models to emulate the “hydration-break” ad monetization seen in this year’s World Cup.

Viant is outpacing the market; Is neutrality even possible anymore?; and Time is influencing chatbots.

Spotify’s ad-skipping has podcasters freaking out; Steaming growth is saving the TV upfront; and OpenAI wants some SMB clients.

VideoAmp cuts 50 jobs; Roku reports its quarterly earnings; and customer acquisition costs are rising.

WPP’s earnings were less bad than expected; Versant’s, meanwhile, weren’t great either; and Cloudflare gets into the AEO game.