The MadTech Podcast

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss investors betting on a USD$2tn (£1.50tn) IPO valuation for Anthropic and Tencent’s AI push sending capex soaring 176%.

The real problem with mobile advertising isn’t creative – it’s what you can’t see. In this special episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire CEO Rachel Smith is joined by Thomas Bienias, agency and brand partnerships director at Kayzen, and Daniel Sichel, digital integration director at Hearts & Science (Omnicom), to discuss what CMOs and agencies should be asking their DSP partners in 2026.
Many advertisers buy mobile inventory through broad DSPs, rather than DSPs built specifically for app environments. The conversation explores the challenges agencies face around creativity and fee transparency, as well as the benefits of partnering with a specialist mobile DSP. It also looks into how media, creative, and measurement teams can they come together to drive better outcomes and prove what's actually working.
•••
0:00 Introduction
4:15 What drives performance within mobile environments?
9:29 Incrementality and post-install measurement
15:40 Specialist vs. generalised DSPs
18:33 Mobile advertising and business outcomes
27:53 Privacy in mobile advertising
34:18 Creative formats for mobile and in-app
40:10 Mobile advertising, tech stacks, and DSPs

In today's MadTech Daily, we discuss French publishers taking Google to the competition regulator over AI Overviews, Perplexity moving to block Time's ads aimed at AI agents, and Disney+ and Hulu adding iHeartMedia video podcasts as streaming platforms race into the format.

In this MadTech Podcast mini special, Ciaran O'Kane of ExchangeWire and FirstPartyCapital joins John Still to discuss Nielsen acquiring DoubleVerify.
Under Nielsen, DoubleVerify keeps its brand and remains fairly independent, similar to how IAS has stayed standalone. Given that DoubleVerify's neutrality has been core to advertiser trust, the conversation explores if being owned by a currency provider like Nielsen creates a conflict, or if it strengthens the case for one verified number across measurement and verification.
Does the deal give the industry more leverage to set standards that stick? Or will consolidating measurement and verification under one roof reduce the competitive pressure needed to push accuracy and transparency forward?
•••
0:00 Nielsen acquires DoubleVerify in $2.15bn ad measurement deal
0:55 Does the deal make Nielsen an end-to-end media intelligence platform?
3:48 What might consolidation do to independent verification?
5:31 What does the deal mean for the health of M&A in the industry?
8:51 Do the hold co's still have moves to make as they become one-stop shops?

In today's MadTech Daily, we discuss an appeals court allowing thousands of addiction lawsuits against Meta, Google, TikTok and Snap to proceed, YouTube raising the bar for creators to join its monetisation program, and Alibaba testing paid tiers for its Qwen AI assistant.