This week, the spotlight fell on AI’s growth, evolving streaming models, and mounting regulatory pressure on global platforms. In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover UK social media use falling as video apps rise, ad spend in Australia dropping 3% year-to-date despite a 22.5% streaming boost from the Nine Olympics, and WPP Media launching ‘YouTube 5K’.

Regulatory tensions kicked off the week in Australia, where the eSafety Commission flagged “major gaps” in how platforms are enforcing the country’s under-16 social media ban. TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube were all found to be falling short of compliance requirements, raising fresh concerns about child safety and platform accountability.

Meanwhile, OpenAI made headlines with a USD$122bn funding round, pushing its valuation to an eye-catching $852bn. Backed by major investors including SoftBank, Andreessen Horowitz, and Microsoft, the raise signals strong market confidence as the company edges closer to a potential public listing.

Building on that momentum, OpenAI also extended its advertising pilot beyond its initial deadline, giving brands more time to experiment with ad placements inside its AI assistant. The programme, still in its early stages, is set to expand into markets including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

In streaming, Disney+ continued to deepen its European footprint through two significant partnerships. A new deal with Italy’s Rai will see select programmes land on the platform just one day after their linear broadcast, while a separate agreement with Spain’s RTVE introduces a similar fast-streaming model. Together, the moves highlight a broader shift in how traditional broadcasters and streaming platforms are redefining content distribution.

Rounding out the week, Anthropic is seeing a surge in consumer traction. Following heightened visibility from its public dispute with the US Department of Defense, paid subscriptions to its Claude AI assistant have more than doubled this year. Growth has been particularly strong at the entry-level tier, signalling widespread demand as competition in the AI market intensifies.