So This Happened: What Actually Matters in Creative Content, Commerce & Technology

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So This Happened... is the weekly podcast on the business of content, commerce, and technology, hosted by Jess Carlin and Nathalie Curtis Lethbridge. Each week we find the stories that slipped past the news cycle and explain what they reveal about platform power, emerging business models, and where money and control are moving across the industry. From streaming rights and sports deals to AI advertising, agentic commerce, social commerce, retail media and regulation, if it's changing how content is made, distributed, or monetised in the media and entertainment industry, we cover it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 4d ago

    ChatGPT Adds Virtual Try-On, Publishers Ask AI Companies to Report What They Use, Meta Launches Forum and more

    This week on So This Happened, Jess and Nathalie dig into a new format from publisher coalition SPUR for reporting how AI companies use their content, and what ChatGPT's new Virtual Try On and Favourites features mean for retailers. Plus: why Meta's new Forum app copies Reddit and how The Drive-In lets independent filmmakers rent out their films while keeping the rights and the audience. Nathalie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalielethbridge/ Jess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacarlin/ Find So This Happened... Subscribe to the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gURXag5C LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atonik Contact: hello@atoniknexus.com SPUR publishes AI content tracking standard, pitches OpenAI and Google to join advisory board - https://digiday.com/media/spur-publishes-ai-content-tracking-standard-pitches-openai-and-google-to-join-advisory-board/ChatGPT can now virtually try on clothes for you - https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/01/chatgpt-can-now-virtually-try-on-clothes-for-you/Bulk campaigns, virtual try-on, and a tracking problem for ChatGPT ads - https://www.stackedmarketer.com/p/bulk-campaigns-virtual-try-on-and-a-tracking-problem-for-chatgpt-adsWalmart gets onboard with OpenAI's ChatGPT fashion push as Virtual Try On and Favourites launch - https://retailtechinnovationhub.com/home/2026/10/2/walmart-joins-openais-chatgpt-fashion-push-as-virtual-try-on-and-favourites-launchFacebook Groups Forum App New From Meta - https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/09/29/facebook-groups-forum-app-new-from-meta/The Drive-In, Streaming Platform Where Indie Filmmakers Keep IP, Audience and Money, Sets Launch - https://variety.com/2026/film/global/the-drive-in-streamer-indie-filmmakers-keep-ip-money-1236875129/ Timestamps: 00:08 Introduction and guest introductions 04:09 SPUR publishes AI content tracking standard, pitches OpenAI and Google to join advisory board 11:59 ChatGPT can now virtually try on clothes for you 23:56 Facebook goes back to the Forum age with its new app 26:47 The Drive-In, Streaming Platform Where Indie Filmmakers Keep IP, Audience and Money, Sets Launch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. Sep 30

    Amazon Blocks Meta's Muse, The Digital Euro Heads to Checkout, Citi Launches Commerce Media and more

    This week on So This Happened, Jess and Nathalie dig into Amazon's decision to block Meta's new Muse AI agent from shopping on its site, and what the standoff means for retail media and the brands that pay for it. Plus: why Infillion's purchase of Foursquare could link an ad to a shop visit and a sale, how a new Sony patent would let players pay for games by tapping a card or phone on their PS5 controller, what the ECB's digital euro pilot means for payments data in Europe, and how Citi plans to sell advertising built on its cardholders' spending. Find us on LinkedIn: Nathalie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalielethbridge/ Jess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacarlin/ Amazon Blocks Meta's Muse AI Assistant In New Standoff Over Agentic ShoppingWhat to know about Meta's Muse AI agentInfillion Acquires Foursquare, Adding More Location Data To Its Ever-Growing Ad Tech StackSony Patents a Way to Pay for Games Through Your PS5 ControllerECB Brings the Digital Euro to Checkout While the US Sits It OutCiti Launches Commerce Media Platform Before Pending Kard Acquisition Find So This Happened... Subscribe to the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gURXag5C LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atonik Contact: hello@atoniknexus.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Sep 23

    Mastercard Takes Checkout Into WhatsApp, ChatGPT Launches Branded Agents, The EU Kids Act Hits AI and Gaming and more!

    This week on So This Happened, Jess and Nathalie dig into the EU's sweeping new Kids Act and OpenAI's sponsored agents, a brand-new ChatGPT ad format that gives every advertiser its own chatbot. Plus: why Comcast's Universal Ads is selling ordinary TV slots around creator channels, how Mastercard and Kenyan startup Flowchart are turning a WhatsApp thread into a checkout, and Google's busy week, escaping an ad tech breakup, testing payments to publishers whose content feeds AI Overviews, and adding cart transfer ahead of the holiday shopping season. Follow Us: Nathalie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalielethbridge/ Jess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacarlin/ Resources: The EU doesn't just want to ban kids from social media. It's blocking chatbots and gaming, too.OpenAI tests advertiser-sponsored agents, expands AI tools for ChatGPT adsUniversal Ads Expands Creator Content Into TV AdvertisingMastercard, Flowcart Team Up To Promote Social Commerce In AfricaWho wins and loses from the remedies to Google’s ad tech monopolyGoogle Rolls Out Pay Value AI Licensing Program To PublishersBoost your holiday sales with these agentic commerce updates Find So This Happened... Subscribe to the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gURXag5C LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atonik Contact: hello@atoniknexus.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. Sep 16

    Recap From IBC: Building the AI-Ready Media Enterprise

    This week on So This Happened, Jess and Nathalie step away from the usual news roundup to unpack the AI-ready media enterprise panel Nathalie chaired on the Future Tech state at IBC in Amsterdam. Panelists Sean King (Veritone), Marcus Edel (Collaboro) and Rory McVicar (Hydrolix) explain what media organisations still need to build underneath AI to move it from pilot to production, including data infrastructure, open source versus proprietary models, tokenomics, organisational readiness and trust. Jess and Nathalie share their own take on what it means for media companies actually trying to deploy this. Sean King (Veritone) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/s-p-king/ Marcus Edel (Collabora) https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-edel-0200391b5/ Rory McVicar (Hydrolix) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorymcvicar/ Nathalie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalielethbridge/ Jess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacarlin/ Resources: What is an agent harness? https://www.earlyadoptr.ai/episodes/what-is-an-ai-agent-harness-how-better-ai-setup-makes-agents-more-reliable Open Weight AI: https://www.earlyadoptr.ai/episodes/open-weight-ai-models-how-to-cut-your-dependence-on-big-ai Timestamps: 00:08 Welcome and IBC Reflections 03:06 Nathalie's AI-Ready Media Enterprise Panel at IBC 06:52 What Media Executives Get Wrong About AI Deployment 09:48 Open Source AI vs Proprietary AI Models Explained 09:48 Navigating the Conversation Flow 09:48 Understanding Open Source vs Proprietary AI 11:20 Hybrid AI Models: Open Source Plus Proprietary 14:48 AI Tokenomics and Data Infrastructure Costs 17:52 Using AI Metadata to Unlock Archive Content 21:26 Why "Boring AI" Delivers the Best ROI 25:04 Domain Expertise and the Human in the Loop 27:05 Key Takeaways for Building an AI-Ready Media Enterprise Find So This Happened... Subscribe to the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gURXag5C LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atonik Contact: hello@atoniknexus.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. Sep 9

    Paramount Turns Trailer Into a Playable Game, Australia Bans AI-Generated Songs From Its Charts,, Vidio Partners With Shopee to Make Streaming Shoppable, Comscore Makes OpenAI's ChatGPT Ads Measurable and more

    This week on So This Happened, Jess and Nathalie break down Depop and Spotify's move to link secondhand fashion shopping with music discovery and what Australia's decision to ban AI-generated songs from its charts means for the industry. Plus: Paramount and Legendary's playable Street Fighter trailer built inside YouTube Playables, why Vidio is betting on Shopee to turn its dramas into a shopping channel, and how Comscore's tracking tool is turning OpenAI's ChatGPT ads into a measurable market. Nathalie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalielethbridge/ Jess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacarlin/ Resources: Depop And Spotify Team Up To Link Secondhand Fashion With Music Discovery - https://dtcdispatch.com/2026/08/23/depop-and-spotify-team-up-to-link-secondhand-fashion-with-music-discovery/Australia’s music industry bans AI songs from charts - https://apnews.com/article/australia-ai-generated-music-charts-ban-aria-9bfb0c91166ae4405a6df1a3c4891687 Want People To Pay Attention To Your Movie Trailer Turn It Into A Playable Game - https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/09/02/want-people-to-pay-attention-to-your-movie-trailer-turn-it-into-a-playable-game/Turning dramas into carts: Inside Vidio’s ecommerce playbook- https://www.techinasia.com/turning-dramas-carts-vidios-ecommerce-playbookComscore Expands Its AI Intelligence to Measure Sponsored Chat Advertising and Its Business Impact- https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Press-Releases/2026/9/Comscore-Expands-Its-AI-Intelligence-to-Measure-Sponsored-Chat-Advertising-and-Its-Business-Impact Find So This Happened... Subscribe to the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gURXag5C LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atonik/ Contact: hello@atoniknexus.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. Sep 2

    YouTube Adds Amazon Shopping Tags to Videos, Twitch Faces a Lawsuit Over AI Training, X Pays Creators for Original Posts, GoWish Turns Wishlists Into Commerce Data and ChatGPT Ads Hit a Major Milestone

    This week on So This Happened, Jess and Nathalie break down YouTube and Amazon's move to make creator videos directly shoppable and what a proposed class action over AI training means for streamers on Twitch. Plus: X's overhaul of creator payouts to reward original posts, why wishlist app GoWish thinks "wish signals" are the next commerce data layer, and how OpenAI's push to build ads inside ChatGPT looks on track to pay off. Nathalie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalielethbridge/ Jess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacarlin/ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 03:29 YouTube and Amazon partner to let creators sell a “curated catalog of highly requested and trending  09:03 Twitch Amazon Hit With Lawsuit For Training AI With Streamers Content 14:02 X Creates A New Revenue Model For Creators But Will It Actually Win Them Over 20:30 Social Shopping And Wishlist Platform GoWish Lands 13.4 Million Investment 27:31 ChatGPT Surpasses $1 Billion in Annualized Ads Revenue Resources: YouTube and Amazon partner to let creators sell a “curated catalog of highly requested and trending products” - https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/08/27/youtube-amazon-creator-product-selling-affiliate-marketing-shopping/?_bhlid=99fe83186b3d6f9fddb8e010ce95c149809e6f6eSocial Shopping And Wishlist Platform GoWish Lands 13.4 Million Investment At 200 Million Valuation - https://retailtechinnovationhub.com/home/social-shopping-and-wishlist-platform-gowish-lands-134-million-investment-at-200-million-valuation Twitch Amazon Hit With Lawsuit For Training AI With Streamers Content - https://www.engadget.com/2242283/twitch-amazon-hit-with-lawsuit-for-training-ai-with-streamers-content/ X Creates A New Revenue Model For Creators But Will It Actually Win Them Over - https://digiday.com/media/x-creates-a-new-revenue-model-for-creators-but-will-it-actually-win-them-over/ChatGPT Surpasses $1 Billion in Annualized Ads Revenue - https://www.adweek.com/programmatic/chatgpt-openai-billion-advertising-revenue/ Find So This Happened... Subscribe to the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gURXag5C LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atonik/ Contact: hello@atoniknexus.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. Aug 26

    Discord Ties Ad Payouts to Player Actions, TikTok Tests Payments Inside DMs, MPA Strikes an AI Deal With ByteDance, Club and Bilibili Bet on the Paying Fans and Asia's Telcos Bundle AI Into Mobile Plans

    This week on So This Happened, Jess and Nathalie break down Discord's new outcome-based advertising model and what TikTok's move into in-app payments means for creator commerce. Plus: the Motion Picture Association's AI copyright deal with ByteDance, two very different plays for the creator economy's paying fans from Club and Bilibili, and why Asia's telcos are betting on bundled AI. Nathalie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalielethbridge/ Jess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacarlin/ Find So This Happened... Subscribe to the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gURXag5C LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atonik/ Contact: hello@atoniknexus.com Resources: Discord Adds Lower Funnel With Outcomes Push: https://digiday.com/marketing/discord-adds-lower-funnel-with-outcomes-push/Tiktok Explores Expanding In Stream Payment Options: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-explores-expanding-in-stream-payment-options/828350Motion Picture Association Inks AI IP Protection Deal With ByteDance: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/mpa-inks-ai-video-ip-protection-bytedance-1236675016/Club Kick Stake Founders Creator Monetization Platformhttps://www.tubefilter.com/2026/08/18/club-kick-stake-founders-creator-monetization-platformAfter becoming China’s answer to YouTube, BiliBili has its eyes on the rest of the worldhttps://www.tubefilter.com/2026/08/20/bilibili-china-youtube-west-expansion-plan/Asia’s telcos bundle AI into mobile plans. Will it pay off? https://www.techinasia.com/asias-telcos-betting-ai-payoff-unclear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  8. Aug 19

    Australia Charges Big Tech to Fund Local News, AppLovin Challenges Google and Meta in Performance Advertising, Disney Brings Fan Content Into Disney+ and Hulu, and more

    In this episode of So This Happened..., hosts Jess and Nathalie cover Australia's new News Bargaining Incentive, which charges Google, Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn a share of ad revenue to fund local news, Dentsu's CHARAMO platform for building and licensing AI-driven brand characters, Disney's new content deals with TikTok and iHeartMedia, AppLovin's rise from mobile-gaming ad seller to a real rival to Google and Meta in performance advertising, and Perplexity blocking Time's paid AI-answer placements as deceptive. Nathalie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalielethbridge/ Jess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacarlin/ Find So This Happened... Subscribe to the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gURXag5C LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atonik/ Contact: hello@atoniknexus.com Resources: Labor Push to Make Social Media Companies Cough Up to Be Introduced Into ParliamentDentsu launches CHARAMO AI platform with Yoshimoto-linked Flipples debutDisney TikTok Partner on Content Sharing as Creators Fuel FandomDisney Doubles Down on Video Podcasts, Inks Streaming Deal With iHeartMediaApplovin Wants to Persuade the World That Its Ad Platform Is the Real DealPerplexity Blocks Times Ads Served to AI Agents Calling Them Deceptive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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So This Happened... is the weekly podcast on the business of content, commerce, and technology, hosted by Jess Carlin and Nathalie Curtis Lethbridge. Each week we find the stories that slipped past the news cycle and explain what they reveal about platform power, emerging business models, and where money and control are moving across the industry. From streaming rights and sports deals to AI advertising, agentic commerce, social commerce, retail media and regulation, if it's changing how content is made, distributed, or monetised in the media and entertainment industry, we cover it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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