Mackerel Media’s Search, Media and Digital Marketing Roundup – January 2026
As the new year begins, there have already been several major updates across Radio, Search, Social and AI-platforms.. Here’s a look at the latest stories from January:
AI Overviews, Now With an Off Switch
Google is exploring new controls that would let website owners opt out of having their content used in AI search features such as AI Overviews. This move is in response to requirements from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, which wants publishers to have greater choice and transparency over how their content is used in generative AI features. Google has said that while these controls are being considered and no timeline has been confirmed for when they may be introduced. These new controls will hopefully give many website owners and publishers greater control over how Google uses their own in their own search features.
Google has announced their Universal Commerce Protocol, which allows users to make purchases directly within Google’s own search and AI Overviews, without needing to visit an ecommerce store’s website. Developed with partners including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart, UCP allows users to now discover, compare and purchase products without leaving Google, creating a large change from how users go from finding products to buying them.
Google Demand Gen: Fewer Clicks, More Shopping
Google has also made some new updates to their Demand Gen ad campaigns, including more shoppable features and improved measurement across YouTube and Google placements. Shoppable ads on connected TVs are now available which allows users to browse and buy directly from YouTube ads.
ChatGPT Eyes the Ads Business
OpenAI has announced that it will soon begin testing ads within ChatGPT. Ads will appear at the bottom of chat responses on both the free and Go plan, but not on Pro, Business, Enterprise or under 18 users. OpenAI has confirmed that ads will only show if they are relevant to the user’s query, and that ads will not influence the responses given to users. This will initially be trialled in the US. This new potential ad placement gives brands and advertisers the opportunity to reach users at the exact moment they are actively asking questions and exploring decisions.
Another Feed, Another Ad Placement
Meta will begin rolling out ads on Threads to users worldwide from February. Threads, which launched in 2023 as a competitor to X, now has over 400 million monthly active users. This new update means that advertisers can run Threads ads through existing Meta campaigns, with placements managed alongside Facebook and Instagram activity. This new choice of ad placements gives brands another opportunity to reach users as Threads continues to grow.
Reddit has launched a new automated ad option called Max campaigns, designed to simplify setup and improve performance for traffic and conversion objectives. Max campaigns automate audience targeting, creative placement and budget allocation, using Reddit’s community signals to optimise delivery in real time. Currently available in beta, early reports have shown lower costs and higher conversions compared to standard campaign setups.
Global: Where the UK Tunes In
Global continues to dominate the UK radio market, with multiple brands delivering record-breaking audiences according to RAJAR Q4 2025 figures. Heart remains the UK’s biggest radio brand with 12.7 million weekly listeners, followed by Capital as the number one hit music station with 9.2 million. Smooth, Classic FM, LBC, Radio X, Capital XTRA and Gold Radio all reported strong and growing audiences, reinforcing Global’s position as the UK’s largest commercial radio group. Senior leadership highlighted sustained audience growth, increased listening hours and the continued strength of live radio in an increasingly competitive and fragmented audio landscape.
