In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire CEO Rachel Smith and COO Lindsay Rowntree join John Still, head of content, to discuss WPP vs. Richard Foster, Apple's app data consent rules, and YouTube's new monetisation bar.

The first story this week covers WPP moving to seal parts of Richard Foster's amended wrongful termination lawsuit, and what this case means for agency practices. The second is Apple revising its app data consent rules after regulators found its App Tracking Transparency framework violated competition law. The team discuss if this move will make a difference with regards to user data and privacy, or truly benefit third-party app developers within Apple's ecosystem.

Finally, YouTube will significantly raise its monetisation thresholds for new creators, while also changing the way it counts public video views. Are these changes keeping pace with the platform's scale? And how might this affect its creator ecosystem going forward?

On September 15th, the sharpest minds in media, marketing, and commerce meet at ATS London. Get your tickets now!

WPP vs. Richard Foster

WPP has escalated its legal fight with Richard Foster, asking the New York Supreme Court to seal parts of his amended $100 million lawsuit. The company called Foster's claims sensationalised and said that the plaintiff is not a genuine whistleblower, but a disgruntled ex-employee chasing a big payout.

The dispute now includes new allegations about a Sony probe into WPP Media's rebate practices in China, which WPP says are irrelevant to Foster's case and were shared to damage its client relationships.

Apple to revise app data consent rules

Apple will revise its rules on how app developers can use personal ​data for targeted advertising on iPhones and iPads, concluding a multi-year investigation into the company’s practices.

Germany’s Federal Cartel Office found that Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework gave its own apps more favourable consent prompts than those of third-party developers – a disparity that potentially violated competition law. 

YouTube raises threshold for new creators; changes how it counts views

From February 1, YouTube will raise the bar for new creators to begin earning money from ads and subscriptions on the platform, doubling its requirements to 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year, or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. 

*Creators already enrolled in the YouTube Partner Program will not be affected – we mistakenly said that this would push existing creators out of the monetisation window. The dialogue instead highlights how many existing creator channels the new thresholds theoretically could affect, as a wider point about how steep the bar to entry has become for the creator economy, even for those that would otherwise look established enough to expect a straightforward path to monetisation.

Starting this week, the platform has also changed how it measures views across all YouTube formats. A view now counts as soon as a video starts playing, regardless of how long a user continues watching. However, creator earnings will continue to be based on engaged views and watch hours in YouTube Analytics.