In this week’s Week in Review: rumours emerge of C4/UKTV merger, NBCU brings AI agents to the Upfronts, and WARC releases new ad market data.

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UK Broadcasters Reportedly Discuss Channel 4 and UKTV Merger

The BBC and Channel 4 have held preliminary talks with the UK Government about a broader tie-up of their operations, Reuters reported on Thursday, including potentially combining Channel 4’s advertising and streaming services with the BBC Studios-owned broadcaster UKTV.

According to two people with direct knowledge of the discussions, the merged entity would be equally owned by the BBC and Channel 4, and would not include the Channel 4 flagship broadcast channel. The proposal goes beyond a previous suggestion from BBC Director General Matt Brittin to bring Channel 4 content onto the BBC’s iPlayer service.

The talks come amid the government’s BBC charter renewal discussions, as the public service broadcasters (PSBs) seek to cut costs and secure their future in the face of mounting competition from international tech giants.

A Channel 4 spokesperson told Reuters: “We won’t be commenting on any speculation but we welcome and support greater collaboration between Public Service Media and strongly believe working together can strengthen impact, innovation and sustainability in UK broadcasting. Channel 4 and the BBC already have a successful commercial relationship, involving ad sales for UKTV and the carriage of U on 4Streaming.”

NBCU Enables Agentic Buying Across Upfront Inventory

Over the last few years, programmatic trading’s role in Upfront deals has steadily grown in the US. Advertisers and agencies have negotiated for programmatic access to portions of their Upfront commitments, giving them greater flexibility and control over their Upfront buys.

As agentic trading becomes more and more embedded in programmatic architecture, it’s likely to find its own role in Upfront deals too. And this week NBCUniversal announced the launch of a new programmatic agentic media solution, which it says is built to optimise Upfront investment. The tool has been built using NBCU’s own ad tech business FreeWheel, in partnership with agentic trading specialist Newton, providing custom AI agents to help advertisers manage their Upfront buys. Media agency Carat has tested the technology for a client in the luxury retail space.

“We are relentlessly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to help our clients make their media investments work smarter and harder,” said Carrie Drinkwater, Carat’s chief investment officer. “What we’ve built with NBCUniversal and FreeWheel is a powerful example of that commitment. By combining the craft, strategic expertise, and relationships that have always defined our approach with AI-powered intelligence, real-time market insights, contextual data, and channel signals, we’re creating new bespoke opportunities for clients to unlock greater value, drive stronger outcomes, and maximise the impact of every investment.”

Bumper Ad Spend Growth Continues Despite Consumer Caution

Total global ad spend is expected to grow by 11.9 percent this year, according to new data from marketing research business WARC, an acceleration from 10 percent growth last year. But this boom stands in contrast to widespread consumer caution, as the cost of living across many markets remains high.

“These are unusual times for advertising,” said Suzy Young, head of WARC media data. “Investment is accelerating even as many consumers face cost-of-living pressures and become more cautious with spending. This apparent contradiction reflects an increasingly uneven economy, where growth – particularly from the AI boom – is benefiting some companies, sectors and consumers more than others.”

Total TV ad spend is expected to see moderate growth of 1.2 percent this year, buoyed by major sporting events including the men’s FIFA World Cup and the Winter Olympic Games, as well as the US mid-term elections. Online video meanwhile is projected to increase by 8.8 percent.

As has been the case for many years now, the major tech players are expected to be the big winners. Social media is predicted to be the fastest growing ad channel, set to rise by 21.3 percent this year. Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet are expected to collectively take 59.7 percent of total global ad spend this year, excluding China, and WARC predicts this will rise to 61.5 percent in 2027.

The Week in Tech

AppLovin Sued Over Alleged Children’s Advertising Violations

San Diego County has filed a lawsuit against AppLovin, alleging that the mobile ad tech company bypassed parental controls to serve ads for adult content in games played by children, Bloomberg reported on Monday. These included ads for adult dating services, alcohol, vaping and graphic sexual content, according to the report. The lawsuit claims that AppLovin collected sensitive data from children’s devices even when parental controls and ad-tracking opt-outs were enabled, including “information precise enough to pinpoint where kids live, where they study and whether they are sleeping.”

Nielsen Plans New Cross-Platform Measurement Suite

Nielsen is building a new suite of measurement products, according to Storyboard18, aimed at providing studios, distributors, content creators, rights holders and brands with a unified view of reach and engagement across platforms. Slated for early 2027, the offering will combine publishers’ first-party streaming data with Nielsen’s national panels and third-party big data. Nielsen is also planning to introduce a natural-language AI interface as part of the new suite.

Sony Selects PubMatic as Programmatic Partner for PS5’s FAST Service

PubMatic, a sell-side ad tech business, has been selected by Sony Pictures Entertainment as its preferred programmatic advertising partner for ‘Live TV on PS5’, the new free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service available on the games console. PubMatic will connect Sony’s inventory and audience insights with brands and agencies globally, according to the company, enabling them to connect their existing DSP or activate campaigns directly through PubMatic’s platform.

Ofcom Investigates Meta Over Instagram Instants Feature

Ofcom, the UK’s media watchdog, has opened an investigation into Meta over Instagram’s Instants feature, which allows users to instantly share images that disappear once viewed. The regulator is investigating whether the social media giant assessed the risks posed by the feature prior to launch, as required under the Online Safety Act. “Our online safety laws are clear – significant changes to platforms must be risk assessed before they’re launched,” said George Lusty, Director of Enforcement at Ofcom. “This is a vital step that tech firms must take to protect their users. You wouldn’t launch a new car without testing it properly, and it’s the same for online services.”

Apple Blocks “Hundreds” of Ad Tech Companies in Latest iOS Update

Apple’s iOS 27 update has blocked “hundreds of CDPs, ad tech and mar tech companies, data sellers and ID graph operators” from advertising to users on Apple devices, AdExchanger reported last week. According to two sources with direct knowledge of the update, an initial list that blocked a handful of programmatic data players (including The Trade Desk and LiveRamp) has been replaced by a longer list of companies that can be dynamically blocked by Apple.

On Device Launches Brand Lift Data API

On Device, a brand lift measurement business, has launched its Brand Lift Data API, the company announced on Tuesday. According to the firm, the API allows organisations to feed channel-level brand lift data into marketing mix modelling (MMM), planning and measurement frameworks; use outcome data to enhance planning, ad targeting, creative and format optimisation; and enable AI agents and analytics tools to conduct in-depth analysis.

Meta Bans TikTok Ads in Seven Countries

Meta has banned TikTok ads from its platforms in seven countries, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The ban will be implemented in the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand a...

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