This week saw regulators sharpen oversight of streaming and digital platforms, while AI, ecommerce, and leadership shake-ups continued to reshape the media and advertising landscape. On today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Amazon expanding its audience segments to Netflix, the BBC floating iPlayer as a home for rival broadcasters, and the ITV reporting its latest revenue figures.

The UK government has opened a three-month consultation on tougher social media restrictions for children, signalling a potential escalation in its digital safety agenda. The review will examine measures including a possible ban on under-16s using social media, daily time limits, and overnight digital curfews

AI partnerships and commerce innovation remained in focus. Meta struck a multiyear licensing deal with News Corp worth up to USD$50m (£37m) annually, securing access to titles including The Wall Street Journal for AI model training and chatbot integration. The company is also trialling an AI-powered shopping research tool within its Meta AI chatbot, offering personalised product recommendations complete with pricing, merchant links, and explanatory summaries.

Meanwhile, eBay announced plans to cut around 800 jobs, roughly 6% of its global workforce, as part of a broader strategic realignment.

In social commerce, Roblox has overtaken TikTok as the fastest-growing shopping platform among Gen Z. Survey data shows Gen Z shoppers made an average of 20 purchases on Roblox in the past year, a 54% rise year on year significantly outpacing TikTok’s 10% growth.

Leadership and media expansion moves also made headlines. Dentsu confirmed Takeshi Sano will become president and global CEO in March 2026 and HubSpot acquired creator platform Starter Story, bringing its leadership team in-house as it builds a media engine around its CRM and marketing automation business.