In today’s digest, we cover Amazon eyeing a role in chatbot ad sales, News Corp landing a USD$50m (£37m) AI deal with Meta, and 85% of Europeans using ad-supported streaming.

Amazon eyes role in Chatbot ad sales

Amazon is reportedly assessing plans to introduce chatbots as an advertising service, according to exclusive reporting by Catherine Perloff. However, this new exploration would go further developing technology that enables other companies to monetise their chatbot interfaces with ads. 

Under the proposal, Amazon could provide tools that allow platforms such as Pinterest to integrate advertising directly into those conversational experiences. The aim would be to help power ad placements within third-party chatbots.

News Corp lands $50m AI deal with Meta

Meta Platforms has struck a multiyear AI content licensing agreement with News Corp worth up to USD$50m (£37m) annually, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal, which will run for at least three years, gives Meta access to News Corp’s US and UK publications including content from The Wall Street Journal for both AI model training and real-time information retrieval within its chatbot products.

Under the terms of the agreement, Meta will be able to draw on current reporting to answer user queries and train its systems on archival material. The scale of the arrangement highlights the growing premiums technology companies are placing on high-quality news content as they race to strengthen generative AI tools. 

85% of Europeans use ad-supported streaming

FreeWheel has released fresh insights from its Voice of the Viewer study, showing that streaming has become the dominant TV format for many audiences across Europe. Satisfaction levels are high, with more than 83% of respondents reporting a positive streaming experience. Content choice stands out as the biggest contributor to satisfaction (73%), followed by perceived value for money (63%). More than four in ten viewers also feel that access to sought-after content has improved compared with five years ago.

The findings indicate growing acceptance of advertising within streaming platforms. Almost half of respondents (47%) watch only ad-supported services, while 49% intentionally selected an ad-funded subscription tier. In total, 85% of viewers now use at least one service that carries advertising. Even so, more than half of those surveyed are receptive to AI playing a role in determining the advertising they receive.