In today’s Digest we cover Claude’s paid user growth surging, AdGreen’s findings on how changes to  advertising production could slash emissions by nearly a third while generating huge financial savings, and WBD setting a date next month for shareholders to vote on a $111bn Paramount–Skydance takeover.

Claude’s paid user growth surges

Anthropic’s public showdown with the US Department of Defense has delivered a huge boost, propelling the AI startup into the spotlight and driving a surge in consumer interest and paid subscriptions. Transaction data analysed by Indagari, covering billions of purchases across roughly 28 million US consumers, shows paid subscriptions to Claude more than doubling this year, with a pronounced spike between January and February as new and returning users signed up in record numbers. Most opted for the cheapest USD$20 (£15.80)-per-month Pro tier, underscoring strong entry-level demand. 

Additional market intelligence from Sensor Tower reinforces the scale of the surge: downloads rose by 166% compared with February, and Claude climbed from outside the top 40 free apps on Apple’s US App Store in early February to No. 2 by late March. Daily active users have also continued to increase, signalling that the spike translated into sustained engagement rather than fleeting curiosity.

Yet, the latest data suggests momentum is beginning to level off as competition reasserts itself. According to Appfigures, ChatGPT has once again overtaken Claude in estimated daily downloads across US app stores, while Sensor Tower reports that Claude’s daily downloads are now declining by around 2% day over day as of March 25, compared with a 1% daily increase for ChatGPT. The recent plateau indicates that sustaining growth in the consumer AI market will require more than a moment of viral attention, even as overall interest remains significantly higher than pre-February levels.

AdGreen: ads could cut emissions by a third

AdGreen’s 2025 Annual Review reveals the advertising industry has significant untapped potential to cut carbon emissions and costs. Data from 2,295 wrapped productions, measured using AdGreen’s Carbon Calculator, showed a total footprint of 20,504 tonnes of CO₂e in 2025 roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of 1,700 UK citizens. While the number of measured productions continues to grow year-on-year, it represents only a fraction of the industry’s output, highlighting the need for broader adoption. 

Analysis of real production data shows that simple changes could have cut 2025 emissions by 29%, or 5,828 tonnes of CO₂e, while also generating substantial monetary savings. The biggest reductions come from curbing flights, reusing hard drives, and switching catering or generator practices, often at little or no cost. The report stresses that early measurement and planning, supported by tools like the updated Carbon Calculator and AI usage tracking, can help brands align sustainability with cost control.

WBD sets Paramount–Skydance vote

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) shareholders will decide next month whether to approve Paramount Skydance’s USD$111bn (£87.7bn) acquisition of the media giant: The  meeting is scheduled for 23rd April, 2026. The WBD board has unanimously recommended that shareholders vote in favour, and the company began mailing definitive proxy statements to eligible shareholders as of 20th March, 2026.

Both companies’ boards have already approved the debt-fueled deal, which is expected to close in Q3 2026, pending shareholder approval and regulatory clearances from the US Justice Department.