Spotify’s Megaphone to return to IAB certification
In an exclusive reveal on Sunday, Podnews has broken the story that Spotify’s Megaphone platform is now working to be recertified. The move comes after the discovery in late April that all of Spotify’s podcasting arms (Megaphone, Spotify for Podcasters, and Chartable) had been removed from the list of compliant companies for podcast measurement. A spokesperson told Podnews Spotify remains committed to the IAB’s mission and are working on getting v2.2 certification for the Megaphone platform. [Source]
Triton Digital Unveils 2024 Canadian Podcast Report
The report is built from Triton Digital’s Podcast metrics service, as well as the 2023 Canadian Podcast Listener study published by Signal Hill Insights. Key findings include an average of 5.9 hours of content downloaded per listener, per week. Canadian listeners average 8.2 episodes consumed per week, and 92.9% of podcasts were downloaded to a mobile device. [Source]
Disillusioned DTC Brands Reject Walled Garden Measurement by Catherine Perloff
Direct-to-consumer brands have begun embracing third-party firms when measuring campaigns, shifting away from reliance on walled gardens that have largely dominated the measurement space historically. The move is in part motivated by an abundance of caution, as ads become more expensive and DTC companies want more assurance they’re spending on media that truly works. [Source]
Publishers and advertisers demand that Apple’s Tim Cook stop the rollout of an anticipated ‘web eraser’ tool over fears it’ll hobble web advertising by Lara O’Reilly
The proposed ‘web eraser’ update anticipated for a future version of Apple’s web browser Safari would allow users to remove unwanted content from web pages. The browser would then remember those choices for subsequent visits, effectively enabling users to block ads, text, and images. A group of trade associations representing around 800 advertisers, publishers, agencies, and ad tech companies have signed a joint letter to Apple’s CEO expressing concerns such a tool would have a negative impact on online advertising. [Source]
How Spotify is Protecting Election Integrity in 2024
Spotify Chief Public Affairs Officer Dustee Jenkins shares the company’s approach to political ads and how they’ve prepared for the 2024 election season. Preparations include the acquisition of Kinzen in 2022 and instituting the global Spotify Safety Advisory Council. Political ads in podcasts must clearly disclose the use of any synthetic or manipulated media, including AI-generated content depicting real or realistic-looking people or events. [Source]
To illuminate audience perceptions and expectations, Sounds Profitable’s latest study surveyed 1,000 weekly podcast listeners. The new study, Ad Nauseum, debuts Wednesday, June 12th at 3:00 p.m. EST.
How much is too much when it comes to podcast advertising? The truth is elusive: ask someone how many ads are too many, and they will likely tell you “one”, but as study after study has shown, podcast advertising works and works well, all the same. Join Tom Webster on June 12th for a free 30 minute dive into Ad Nauseam’s findings.
…as for the rest of the news:
- Wondery makes its first move into UK sports podcasts with the launch of Everything to Play For.
- Spotify has published a breakdown of the new Spotify Premium costs in the U.S., including Individual accounts increasing from $10.99/month to $11.99/month.
- Vox has published a retrospective on Serial and its role in the true crime podcasting boom.
- OpenAI has partnered with Vox Media to use the brands under Vox’s umbrella to train the company’s ChatGPT product, as well as develop new products for Vox.
