This week saw growth in ad spend alongside rising regulatory action across ad tech and media. In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Apple urging the EU to rethink Big Tech antitrust rules, Google appealing to the Supreme Court in the Epic case, and Microsoft partnering with OpenAI rival Anthropic.

The UK’s digital advertising market continues to power ahead, with IAB UK forecasting double-digit growth through 2026 after revenues hit £18.7bn in the first half of 2025, driven by search, video, and retail media.

But while the numbers impress, the industry’s ad giants, Omnicom, IPG, Publicis, Dentsu, WPP, and Havas are softening their tone on climate action, balancing sustainability pledges against pressure to keep fossil fuel clients on the books.

In dealmaking, North American private equity firm Novacap has agreed to acquire Integral Ad Science for USD$1.9bn (£1.41bn), a move designed to accelerate IAS’s AI-first growth strategy.

Child safety is also back under the microscope. Canada’s privacy watchdogs ruled TikTok has failed to adequately block under-13s or protect children’s data, with regulators warning hundreds of thousands of minors to use the app each year despite restrictions.

That comes as publishers brace for another hit from AI-driven search. The Independent Publishers Alliance has warned that Google’s updates could wipe out a third of its members by diverting traffic away from news sites.

Meanwhile, UK broadcaster bosses have dismissed talks of a merger, arguing that forced consolidation of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Paramount would shrink the UK’s creative pool and reduce choice for viewers, even as the government considers making tie-ups easier.