This week’s developments point to a media and advertising industry under strain, as major deals wobble, alliances shift, and publishers confront a rapidly changing discovery landscape. In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Wikimedia expanding AI partnerships across tech giants, Alibaba’s Qwen app topping 100m users, and Freely surpassing 1m weekly users.

This week, Apple signalled a notable shift in its AI strategy, confirming a multiyear partnership with Google to use its Gemini models and cloud infrastructure. The deal will underpin Apple’s future foundation models and power a major Siri upgrade expected later this year.

Speaking of Google, the search giant unveiled the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP): a new open standard for AI agent-based shopping. Developed in collaboration with companies including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart, the protocol is designed to allow AI agents to operate across multiple stages of the customer journey, from product discovery through to post-purchase support, without requiring separate agent connections for each function.

Pressure is mounting on Dentsu, after its bid to sell its international operations showed signs of stalling. The Japanese advertising group has struggled to attract sustained interest from buyers and private equity firms for its overseas business including its UK-based arm, which generated more than USD$4.5bn (£3.33bn) in net revenues in 2024. 

In streaming, Netflix is preparing to rework its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, shifting to an all-cash deal, according to the Wall Street Journal. The revised structure would replace the earlier cash-and-stock offer that valued the transaction at around USD$82.7bn (£61.2bn), as Netflix looks to simplify terms and strengthen its position in an increasingly competitive bidding environment.

Apple signalled a notable shift in its AI strategy, confirming a multiyear partnership with Google to use its Gemini models and cloud infrastructure. The deal will underpin Apple’s future foundation models and power a major Siri upgrade expected later this year.

Finally, TikTok is reshaping its US workforce ahead of a potential sale. Some employees have been told they will remain under a global ByteDance-owned entity rather than transition into a proposed US joint venture.