The Stack: Major Ad Expansions

This week, we recap major ad business moves, platform updates, and market trends shaping the industry. In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at TikTok bidders, tariffs on production hubs, Clear Channel Europe-North’s acquisition and Meta’s multi-year partnership with UFC.

PayPal is making big moves, revealing plans to expand its ad business to the UK market. The launch is set for July. The network will tap into transaction data to offer advertisers self-service tools for dynamic creative ads and shoppable formats. As platforms compete for advertisers, Reddit is stepping up. The company introduced new features to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) streamline their advertising efforts, including a campaign import tool and a review page in Ads Manager. Additionally, Conversation Ads are getting a major upgrade with larger media spaces and improved ad placements. 

Meanwhile, in the broadcasting world, the BBC is taking a different approach. The broadcaster has scrapped its proposal to introduce ads in podcasts accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify in the UK. 

While some companies are expanding in advertising, the overall market faces challenges. WARC’s latest forecast downgraded global ad spend by $20bn across all media. However, digital advertising remains a bright spot, with Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta driving growth.