This week, the media and ad tech landscape saw a fresh wave of partnerships as platforms looked for new ways to attract audiences, monetise content and strengthen their competitive positions. In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss radio leading in an attention-to-emissions study and Tencent’s founder mobilising half of the company’s staff to accelerate its AI push.

Anthropic made moves this week as it expands its influence across media and technology. The AI company signed its first publisher licensing agreement with the Associated Press, allowing Claude to draw on AP's reporting for timely information, including live election coverage. The company is also setting its sights on a potentially record-breaking public listing. 

Meanwhile, the creator economy is finding new opportunities in traditional television. Tubi and TikTok have launched the Creatorverse Incubator, a programme that will invest in 12 creators to develop 10 original long-form series based on their TikTok content. 

The streaming market also saw a major consolidation move as Fox completed its USD$22bn (£16.61bn) acquisition of Roku, giving the media company a stronger foothold in connected TV and access to more than 100 million households. Roku will join Fox's newly created Digital Platforms division alongside Tubi and Fox One.

In the UK, outdoor advertising is also attracting renewed investment. Global has agreed to acquire Alight Media, expanding its digital out-of-home portfolio with more than 1,500 digital large-format screens and over 4,000 screens across leisure and hospitality venues.

Elsewhere, Singapore-based Sea reported a strong third quarter, with revenue climbing 43.4% to USD$8.6bn (£6.49bn), driven largely by growth across its e-commerce platform Shopee and digital financial services business Monee. 

However, platform growth continues to bring greater regulatory scrutiny. The European Commission has preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act over its addictive design, particularly features such as infinite scroll, which regulators believe encourage prolonged usage. 

Finally, Reddit is exploring another application of AI with Reddit Reviews, a feature that turns product discussions and user comments into consolidated product overviews. Users will be able to explore community opinions, compare alternatives and access relevant purchase links.