March Ad Spend 📈, SAG-AFTRA to Add Influencers, & More

March Ad Spend 📈, SAG-AFTRA to Add Influencers, & More

May 1, 2025

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The Smart TV Factor: What Growing Connected TV Listening Means for Podcasting by Tom Webster

8% of podcast consumers primarily use a smart TV for that. While it might not sound like much, it’s significant enough to draw attention to. When filtered to just Smart TV primary users, a different kind of user begins to form than one might immediately presume given the growth of video podcasting. 39% of them usually expect a podcast to be audio, but it may be video. 26% presume an podcast could be either format. Smart TV podcast users aren’t necessarily video-focused absolutists. The data in The Advertising Landscape  suggests they’re pragmatists who use whatever screen is handy to queue up a podcast. Webster ends with four thoughts for podcasting to mull over on how to best play to the strengths of growing smart TV usage, including consideration of the 55+ demographic who largely only engage with digital media via smart TVs, and optimizing podcasts for device-switching so audiences who jump from phone, to car, to TV can enjoy doing so.

 

U.S. Ad Spending Jumps 7.8% in March, Led By Digital Growth

According to Guideline data, the U.S. ad market increased in March 7.8% year over year, an upgrade from February’s growth rate of 2.4%. Their U.S. Ad Market Tracker finds digital continues to be the fastest-growing segment, with U.S. ad spend in digital growing 13.4% year over year. 

 

LinkedIn wants a bigger slice of the creator economy by Lara O’Reilly

A new slate of five original shows from business-focused creators, including The Diary of a CEO host Steven Bartlett, are kicking off on LinkedIn. This new focus on producing and distributing video content comes as big names like Spotify and YouTube have been courting big-name content creators for exclusive content. Mondo Metrics founder Nick Cicero told Business Insider the best path forward is quality over quantity. Engagement bait wouldn’t achieve much, as a platform like LinkedIn doesn’t work for content seeking a million views, it works for content reaching the right ten decision-makers. 

 

SAG-AFTRA plans to invite influencers into its ranks by Sam Gutelle

The Screen Actor’s Guild recently held a meeting in which the union’s board unanimously approved a recommendation to establish a committee for digital influencers and content creators. A step towards bringing content creators into the fold of the biggest actor union in the country. A potential full circle, as the big SAG work stoppage in 2007 jump-started the modern understanding of content creation, both with struck creators making their own content (e.g. Joss Whedon’s Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog) and the amplified viewership of existing webseries  (e.g. Felicia Day’s The Guild, which launched just before the strike). The new National Influencer and Digital Creator Committee will be chaired by Instagram photographer Patrick Janelle. 

 

Welcome to Coworking, a recurring feature in The Download where we highlight some of the folks working in the business of podcasting. If you’d like to toss your hat in the ring and answer some questions, fill out this form!

Today we’re spotlighting Joni Deutsch from The Podglomerate. When it comes to industry misconceptions, she commonly encounters “if you build it, they will come” mentalities, as well as instant-gratification goals like a million downloads on series launch day. Podcasting works its best when properly planned out with cross-platform strategies, as podcast success rarely happens overnight. For indispensable tools, she points to Slack channels and email list servs as valuable sources of networking (and highlights AIR’s audio communities and groups resource). For Joni’s full interview, including The Podglomerate’s list of industry events, catch the piece here on Sounds Profitable.

 

As for the rest of the news…