On today’s news digest: Google Blocking Links to News Outlets on Search; Taylor Swift Returns to TikTok; Legal Loophole Could Bring Political Ads to UK TV Screens
In protest of a proposed law which would require tech companies in California to pay a journalism usage fee for linking to news sites, Google has temporarily blocked links from local news outlets in the region from appearing in search results. The California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA) cleared the California assembly in 2023; to become law it would now need to pass in the Senate. In a blog post, Google explains the “short-term” testing they are carrying out on a “small percentage” of users in the state to prepare for possible implications of the act: “The testing process involves removing links to California news websites, potentially covered by CJPA, to measure the impact of the legislation on our product experience.”
Taylor Swift has made a return to TikTok, following a royalties dispute with Universal Music which saw the video giant pull the music group’s catalogue from its platform. Taylor Swift reinstated a selection of her songs on TikTok ahead of a planned album release on 19th April – the singer owns the copyrights to her own songs due to a deal struck with Universal in 2018, so is in control of where her music is made available (unlike many artists).
Meanwhile in the UK, political ads could soon be coming to TV screens. For the first time, ITV is considering taking paid ads from political parties ahead of the upcoming general election. Last year, the spending limit on political parties’ general election campaigns was updated, rising from £19.5m to £35m. With this figure almost doubling, a loophole in broadcasting law presents new opportunities: since 1955, British political parties have been banned from buying TV ads – however, the ban applies only to traditional linear TV. As a result of these circumstances, ITV is considering allowing political parties to buy ad space on its ITVX streaming platform.
MadTech Podcast: ExchangeWire on Singapore Retail Sales, AI Charges and More Video Feeds
Creativity in the Age of Generative AI: How Does Ad Tech Benefit?
EssenceMediaCom's Josh Gallagher on Ensuring Effective Measurement
Strengthening Ad Tech Advocacy: TeqBlaze Joins the Prebid Community
Adform, the most powerful and safe media buying platform built for game changers, celebrates today…
Opti Digital, a premium ad revenue platform, unveils a new brand identity that embodies its…
In today’s Digest, Ireland pushes for Big Tech to vet financial ads, Warner Bros. Discovery…
We look at some of the key findings from this year’s All In Census (created…
This week, Google dominated headlines with bold moves across content, advertising, and AI, while lawmakers…
Intent IQ, a leading provider of identity resolution and data technology, today (May 8th, 2025)…