Audio Platforms Generate Nearly The Same Attentiveness As TV by Pierre Bouvard
Attentiveness measurement firm Adelaide, which first showed open interest in podcast measurement at the Podcast Upfronts, has published their 2024 Outcomes Guide. Key findings include the fact that not all impressions are created equal. To achieve the same attentiveness of a $1,000 AM/FM radio buy, one would have to spend $2,635 on Facebook ads. Podcasts only need $896 to reach that much attentive audience, boosted by the cheapest option being YouTube at $698. The report found audio-based mediums hold nearly the same attention rating as linear TV, with podcasting scoring 49.1 on the AU scale of 100. Linear TV scored a 52.
Quarter 2 Podcasting Roundup
As we reach the end of quarterly earnings call season, a couple more podcasting companies have posted their earnings. Audacy reports their Adjusted EBITDA increased 116%. Total revenue declined 3%, but Digital revenues are up 12%. Meanwhile The Hollywood Reporter covers iHeartMedia’s Q2 results, including their podcast revenue increasing 8% year over year, reaching $104.5 million USD.
Patreon CEO Jack Conte has posted a YouTube video explaining upcoming changes to the Apple App Store that will impact platforms like Patreon. Starting in November, all new Patreon memberships made within the iOS app will be subject to a 30% in-app purchase fee. The company has released a tool to allow creators to decide if they want to keep their pledge prices the same across all platforms and soak the cost of iOS fees, or tell Patreon to automatically increase membership prices 30% within the iOS version of the app. The announcement has caused stirs on social media, with podcasts on Patreon – such as Midnight Burger – spreading the word that all future Patreon pledges should avoid signing up within the Patreon iOS app.
Late last week the Global Alliance of Responsible Media (GARM), a volunteer committee that set advertising industry standards for brand-safe content, dissolved in the face of an antitrust lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s X. The lawsuit, which has been cited as an example of a SLAPP suit, has backfired as Musk’s platform has become even more of an advertising persona non grata. As The Media Leader reports, suing GARM has made X even less enticing of a platform to run ads on for many companies.
How Apple’s new pop-up blocker is a warning to advertisers by Asa Hiken
A new feature currently in the testing branch of iOS is Distraction Control, which gives users the ability to temporarily hide invasive/obstructive elements on the internet. The feature is not classified as an ad blocker, as the element blocking goes away upon page refresh. A demo given by Mac Rumors uses a recipe website as an example, one of the more egregious examples of intrusive design, including advertisements, making everyday browsing difficult. Podcasting, by nature, is future-proofed against such tools as advertising breaks are, generally, built into natural breaks in content and cannot be overlapped in the same way some platforms present digital ads.
…as for the rest of the news:
- Bumper has released their podcast dashboard of aggregated performance metrics
- Headliner and Sounds Profitable are partnering to create an infographic highlighting the sub-industry of paid podcast promotion. Submissions are now open to send in companies for the first edition of the Paid Podcast Promotion Landscape
- The Trade Desk claims UID2 has reached “critical mass.” The alternative ID has been adopted by several large names in the podcasting space, including Magellan AI and Pandora
- E.B. Moss shares the surprising way podcasts connect with listeners in “How Podcasting Leads to Love”
- Why brands are paying special focus to the Paralympic Games.
Jobs in Podcasting
- Partnerships Coordinator, The Roost at The Roost Podcast Network
- Business Development Specialist at JAR Audio
- Head of Revenue Partnerships at Realm of Possibility
- Production Partnerships Lead at Realm of Possibility
- Media Planner Buyer at Oxford Road
