In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire's head of marketing, Grainne Reid, is joined by COO Lindsay Rowntree and John Still, head of content.

The first story this week is MENA becoming the world's fastest-growing digital advertising market. The team discuss the biggest categories in the region and their expectations for future growth. The second covers the CMA imposing new measures on Google search, and whether this affords publishers greater protection in the AI era.

Finally, UK ad exports recorded a £19.4bn milestone in 2025. Is the UK proud enough of its advertising industry, and what's being done to further promote it?

MENA digital advertising spend hits $8.185bn

The MENA digital advertising market reached $8.185 billion in 2025, representing 17.8% year-on-year growth, according to the latest industry report released by IAB MENA at a member event on 8 June.

Nisrine Ghazal, Chair of the IAB MENA Board and Chief Digital Officer at Rotana Media Services, commented: “This report highlights the continued evolution of the region’s advertising market. MENA remains one of the fastest-growing digital advertising regions globally, demonstrating the ongoing shift of audiences, content consumption, and advertising investment towards digital channels.”

Google vs. CMA

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has imposed a new conduct requirement for Google search. Under the measures, publishers must be able to control whether their material appears in AI Overviews, receive clearer information about how their content is used, and gain access to more detailed performance metrics.

Google will also be required to improve attribution in AI search responses and allow publishers to opt out of content being used to fine-tune AI models without removing themselves from traditional search results. In response, Google said it is testing new controls that allow website owners to manage how their links and content appear in AI-powered search experiences.

July 8th, Sands Expo & Convention Centre. ATS Singapore 2026. This year marks fifteen years of ExchangeWire bringing together the people who actually run this industry in APAC. We’ve got some great speakers lined up, including Index Exchange CEO Andrew Casale, on stage in conversation with Ciaran O’Kane.

That's before you factor in the rest of the people on stage and in the room: senior buyers, sellers, traders, and decision-makers. This is where the industry figures out what it's going to do next, and you need to be in the room.

UK ad exports hit £19.4bn

Overseas sales of UK advertising services reached £19.4bn in 2025, according to a report from the Advertising Association and Credos, making advertising one of the fastest-growing UK service exports and reinforcing the country’s position as the world’s second-largest advertising exporter.

The sector also generated a £4.2bn trade surplus. The US remains its largest international market, accounting for £5.5bn in exports. The report argues that UK advertising plays a broader economic role by helping businesses compete internationally through creative, strategic, technological and data-driven services.