S&P Global vs Sensor Tower

Netflix Cuts 6% Staff; UK Marketing Budgets Hit Two-Year High

Today's ad tech news digest covers three major stories: Netflix is laying off about 6% of its workforce (around 1,000 jobs) due to slower growth and engagement, marking its largest cuts since 2022. The IPA Bellwether Report shows UK marketing budgets increased at the fastest pace in over two years in Q3, with a net balance of +14.3% and all categories growing, led by PR. A federal judge granted Apple early access to OpenAI's hiring records in its trade secrets lawsuit, including interviews with former Apple employees, and allowed early depositions. The digest also notes S&P Global raised its 2026 UK GDP and adspend forecasts.

• Netflix is laying off about 6% of its workforce, roughly 1,000 jobs, its largest cuts since 2022.
• UK marketing budgets rose at the fastest pace in over two years in Q3, with a net balance of +14.3%.
• A federal judge granted Apple early access to OpenAI's hiring records in its trade secrets lawsuit.

UK Marketing Budgets Rise Across All Categories in Q3

The IPA Bellwether Report for Q3 2026 indicates a broad recovery in UK marketing budgets, with a net balance of +14.3% of marketers increasing spend—the highest in nine quarters and the third consecutive quarterly growth. All main media subcategories saw upward revisions for the first time, including main media (+9.8%) and 'other online' (+17.2%). PR (+15.3%) and events (+15.1%) led growth, followed by sales promotions (+13.1%). Despite this, industry and company-level financial confidence remain negative, though improved from Q2. S&P Global raised UK GDP growth forecasts for 2026 to 1.2%, supported by events like the FIFA World Cup, but risks from geopolitical tensions and high fuel prices persist. Ad spend forecasts were revised up for 2026 to 2.8% but down for 2027 to 1.3%. Industry experts offer mixed reactions, highlighting opportunities in creator marketing, out-of-home, audio, and video, while cautioning about walled gardens and the need for data quality and attention measurement as AI becomes more prevalent.

• Net balance of +14.3% of UK marketers increased budgets in Q3 2026, marking the third consecutive quarterly growth and the strongest since Q2 2024.
• All main media subcategories saw upward revisions for the first time; main media budgets rose by +9.8%, with online, video, and OOH leading.
• PR budgets experienced the highest increase at +15.3%, continuing 13 consecutive quarters of growth, followed by events (+15.1%) and sales promotions (+13.1%).

10-Q Financial Filing Analysis for S&P Global (2026-07-28)

S&P Global reported strong financial performance for the second quarter of 2026, with consolidated revenue rising 10% year-over-year to $4.15 billion and operating profit growing 17% to $1.81 billion. Net income attributable to the company rose 14% to $1.22 billion, yielding diluted EPS of $4.12. Growth was broad-based across segments, highlighted by a 17% revenue increase in Ratings driven by strong investment-grade issuance and a 20% surge in Indices supported by higher ETF and mutual fund AUM and robust derivative trading volumes. In addition, the effective tax-free spin-off of Mobility Global (MBGL) on July 1, 2026, marks a pivotal strategic realignment to focus exclusively on capital, energy, and commodity intelligence.

• Consolidated Q2 2026 revenue grew 10% YoY to $4,146 million, and operating profit rose 17% YoY to $1,812 million.
• The separation and 100% spin-off distribution of Mobility Global Inc. (MBGL) to shareholders became effective on July 1, 2026, shifting Mobility to discontinued operations starting Q3 2026.
• Ratings revenue grew 17% YoY to $1,339 million on a 25% surge in billed issuance ($1,268 billion), while Indices revenue jumped 20% to $534 million.

Meta's Muse AI Chat Security Flaw Exposes 6,800 Conversations

Meta has temporarily disabled the sharing feature of its AI agent Muse after security firm Claroc discovered that over 6,800 private conversations were publicly accessible via web searches. The vulnerability stemmed from shareable URLs that included conversation titles and were indexed in public DNS records, bypassing the intended obscurity of random identifiers. The exposed data included confidential corporate information such as revenue analyses, loan applications, internal HR details, interview notes, and a company's vacation calendar. Meta stated it would review the feature's privacy protections, but Claroc's CTO noted that his report went unanswered. The incident raises privacy concerns, especially in Germany where data protection is a major issue, and could damage public trust. Meanwhile, Muse has seen explosive growth, with 10.9 million global downloads in 40 days, driven by Meta's marketing push and integration across its ecosystem.

• Security firm Claroc found over 6,800 publicly accessible links to shared Meta Muse AI conversations.
• The leaked data included confidential revenue analyses, loan applications, internal HR details, interview notes, and a company's vacation calendar.
• Meta temporarily disabled Muse's sharing feature after being alerted by Ars Technica on October 20, 2026; Claroc stated Meta did not respond to their report.

Meta's AI Companion Muse Hits 10M U.S. Downloads in 40 Days

Meta's AI companion Muse has surpassed 10 million U.S. downloads within its first 40 days, making it the fastest-growing app since Threads. According to Sensor Tower, it reached about 10.9 million global downloads, with 10.2 million from the U.S., accounting for 94% of total downloads. Meta significantly boosted its visibility by allocating 39% of its ad budget to Muse in October, up from 23% in September, making it a top advertiser. Muse shows strong retention, with a 30% 7-day retention rate in the U.S., outperforming rivals like ChatGPT, Grok, and Claude, though it loses more users after the first day. Daily active users peaked at 2.5 million on October 16. Despite rapid growth, monetization faces hurdles due to banks and brokers blocking AI agents. The app has held the No. 1 U.S. App Store rank except for one day.

• Muse surpassed 10 million U.S. downloads in 40 days, the fastest since Threads, with 10.2 million from the U.S. out of 10.9 million total.
• Meta allocated 39% of its ad budget to Muse in October, up from 23% in September, making it the 21st largest brand by U.S. ad impressions.
• Muse achieved a 30% 7-day retention rate in the U.S., beating rivals but losing more users after day one.

India’s New Growth Playbook 2026: AI Partnerships, Faith & Finance, and the Shift to Value

India remains a market of enormous digital scale, but scale alone no longer captures the full opportunity. Explore category trends and growth opportunities shaping India’s next phase of digital growth with Sensor Tower data and insights.