This week brought a number of alignment moves across the global ad and AI landscapes from new retail standards to strategic platform partnerships. In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss ITV launching its GenAI Ads Manager, the UK ad regulator trialling AI monitoring, and New York City suing social media firms for allegedly addicting kids.

The week ended with IAB Europe inviting public comment on the next phase of its Commerce Media Measurement Standards and new Flexible Ad Size Guidelines for Retail Media Networks, aiming to bring long-needed transparency and interoperability to one of the industry’s fastest-growing channels.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the DOJ’s antitrust case against Google entered its decisive stage. The 10-day remedy phase wrapped on 3rd October, as both sides sparred over how to restructure Google’s ad tech stack without destabilising the digital economy a verdict now looms.

Mozilla is also taking a fresh approach to monetisation. Partnering with Index Exchange, the Firefox browser will open its New Tab page to programmatic ads through exclusive Private Marketplace deals, marking a significant pivot for the privacy-first company.

Amid growing global competition, the EU is readying a sweeping “Apply AI” strategy to reduce dependence on US and Chinese tech, promoting European-built AI systems to bolster competitiveness in sectors from healthcare to defence.

In streaming, NBCUniversal and YouTube TV have renewed their multi-year deal, adding Peacock and live sports to YouTube’s lineup including the revival of NBC Sports Network after a four-year hiatus.

Finally, Spotify has teamed up with Amazon Ads, integrating its audio and video inventory into Amazon’s DSP. The partnership gives advertisers deeper access to Spotify’s 696 million monthly users, enhanced by Amazon’s retail data and full-funnel measurement tools.