YouTube expands in-app messaging
The YouTube Chat feature allows eligible users to send and receive private messages in-stream without leaving the platform.
YouTube announced an expansion of its in-app messaging feature, which it hopes will keep more sharing activity within the platform itself, as opposed to having users share links to YouTube content via other messaging apps.
YouTube launched an initial test of in-app messaging with users in Ireland and Poland in November, using what the platform is calling YouTube Chat, which provides a basic in-stream DM option.
Now, YouTube is expanding that to the U.S. and “other global locations,” per the company.
As explained by YouTube: “Our community loves to share videos with their friends and family, and we want them to be able to do it in one place.”
Generative search ad revenue to jump from $5.1 bn in 2026 to over $100 bn by 2030
WPP Media’s midyear forecast says global ad revenue will grow 8.9% to $1.3 trillion in 2026, driven by AI investment and Asia-based advertisers looking for international growth
New Delhi: Generative search is set to become the fastest-scaling advertising channel ever recorded, with revenue projected to jump from $5.1 billion in 2026 to over $100 billion by 2030, according to WPP Media’s This Year Next Year 2026 Global Midyear forecast.
The report said traditional search and generative search will together account for 21.8% of total advertising revenue in 2026.
WPP Media said global advertising revenue, excluding US political advertising, is now projected to grow 8.9% by the end of 2026, reaching $1.3 trillion. This is an upward revision from the 7.1% growth forecast in December.
Facebook launches AI mode search
Facebook has launched a major suite of generative AI features engineered to overhaul its core platform capabilities, spanning interactive discovery, automated content creation, and real-time augmented identity. The platform updates are anchored by a new search framework called “AI Mode,” along with dynamic creation and wardrobe tools.
The headline deployment is AI Mode, a next-generation search interface powered entirely by Meta AI. Moving away from the legacy structure of standard web links, AI Mode synthesizes answers by extracting insights from publicly shared content across the vast Facebook ecosystem, specifically targeting active Groups and Reels. The system is optimized to curate direct perspectives, crowdsourced opinions, and localized recommendations from real users, bringing the conversational, keyword-curated search experience currently live on Instagram directly onto the main Facebook interface.
German court holds Google directly liable for false AI Overviews claims
A German court has ruled that Google is directly liable for false claims made in AI Overviews answers. The ruling raises a key unresolved question about accountability in the AI search era. If AI models hallucinate and produce factually incorrect information, should liability be borne by the model provider, the platform that hosts such AI-generated content, or the user who submits the prompts?
What was the lawsuit about? Two Munich-based publishing companies sued Google after AI Overviews wrongly linked them to scams, subscription traps, and shady business practices. The publishers said the false claims were harming their reputation.
The plaintiffs, whose names have been redacted from the court documents, said they had sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google but never received an appropriate response.
CTV leads exclusive advertiser growth during IPL 2026
On linear TV, Chocolates topped the list of exclusive categories, followed by Internet Service Providers, Perfumes & Deodorants, Televisions and Cement.
Connected TV (CTV) emerged as a stronger destination for exclusive advertisers during IPL 2026, attracting more than 60 exclusive advertisers and over 35 exclusive categories, according to a report by TAM Sports. In comparison, linear television recorded 30+ exclusive advertisers and over 20 exclusive categories.
Among the top exclusive categories on CTV were Credit Cards, Adhesives, Fast Food Outlets, Corporate-FMCG and Astrologers. Tata Motors, Vivo Mobile India, Renault India, Colgate Palmolive India and Pidilite Industries were the leading exclusive advertisers on the platform.
IPL 2026 digital ads show Banking & Fintech leading recall efficiency
Chrome DM COTT has released its Advertising Recall Efficiency Report for IPL 2026, covering category and brand-level performance across Total Digital, BFSI, Metro Banking, and Regular IPL Viewer cohorts. The report is based on Chrome DM COTT | Chrome Digital Ad Track (Digital Panel) + Primary Survey | IPL 2026, covering the period 28 March to 31 May 2026.
The analysis evaluates the relationship between impression share and recall percentage, using the Recall Efficiency Index (REI) as a measure of how efficiently impression exposure is converted into recall. An REI of 1.00x indicates parity between impression share and recall share, while a score below or above 1.00x reflects under-conversion or over-conversion respectively.
Total Digital Category Analysis
Across Total Digital, the report indicates that impression share and recall do not move in step across categories
Pinterest expands Performance+ Advertising suite with new tools for SMBs
Pinterest has introduced new features to its Performance+ advertising suite, including a new customer acquisition tool and a one-click campaign setup option for eligible Shopify merchants.
The company said recent updates to its ad delivery models resulted in a 28% improvement in return on ad spend (ROAS) during testing among small and medium-sized business advertisers using Performance+ campaigns with ROAS bidding.
Bengaluru Startup Makes AI Video 20x Cheaper Than Sora – and It Gets Indian Culture
Avataar.ai has launched Varya, India’s first distilled video AI model, built on 40,000 Indian cultural datasets, priced at 48 paisa per second at a time when global alternatives cost 8 to 10 rupees per second, and released as an open-weight model on India’s AI Kosh portal, targeting the MSMEs, school teachers, and creators for whom every existing video AI has remained structurally unaffordable since inception.
In this episode of Front Page, Sudhi Sachdev sits down with Sravanth Aluru, Co-founder and CEO of Avataar.ai, to break down why vision accounts for 60% of human sensory processing yet India has had no indigenous video model, how Avataar’s three novel algorithmic innovations reduced diffusion steps from 50 to 4 to make Varya 10 times faster and 27 times cheaper than their own original target, and why releasing it open-weight on AI Kosh is not just a product launch but a sovereignty argument that India can build the AI unlock itself.
That’s the news from last week. Till we meet again, stay ahead with D-talks !
