Premium Ad-Supported Podcasting, FTC Fights Fake Followers, & More

Before we get started, a quick scheduling note for this week: Sounds Profitable is currently just next to Washington, D.C. for Podcast Movement. To account for travel time, there will be no daily episode of The Download on Thursday. If any breaking news happens while we’re travelling, it will be covered in the Friday Recap. Here’s what you need to know for today, Monday August 18th.

Hey influencers and brands, the FTC may come after you if buy fake followers by Dan Whateley

The Federal Trade Commission has finalized a new role that codifies how they will begin pursuing creators and businesses that buy fake followers, views, or other metrics to boost engagement on an account or sponsored post. While the FTC has pursued companies selling boosted follower counts and likes in the past, the new framework allows the organization to go after bad actors. While buying legitimate traffic for a podcast feed does not qualify for this FTC rule, podcasting is not free of accounts boosted with bought followers/subscribers that would qualify as using paid engagement to boost a for-profit venture.

Apple Podcasts launches on the web by Lorren Forristal

Today Apple has announced Apple Podcasts is now available in all major browsers across over 170 countries. The update brings a new browser interface that allows users to access Apple Podcasts in ways that previously were exclusive to the app. From a data perspective, web players often display as the browser they originate from, versus the website or player being used. Some of that data is available and is often not reported on. This new rollout from Apple ideally will make deeper browser data tablestakes for podcasting, further improving analytics available to the industry at large.

Netflix gross media ad spend spiked 166% YoY in Q2: Guideline data by Jasmine Sheena

Overall, according to Standard Media Index, digital video gross media ad spend grew 14% year-over-year while linear TV went down 12% YoY. Disney+ follows close behind Netflix with a 140% YoY growth in gross media ad spend. Subscription-based TV is undergoing a shift from the common presumption of being paid for an ad-free experience, to paid streams still containing ads. Podcast audiences believe ads in their favorite podcasts support the creator directly, so ads are more favorably accepted than in other forms of media. As the world progresses towards subscriptions being ad-supported as the default, podcasting continues to stand out. Even when podcasts follow that, it continues to stand out thanks to the transparent nature of the industry and the connection between producer and audience member.

Advertisers say their Google ads are showing up on X. Why? by Ryan Barwick

MarketingBrew reports they contacted two advertisers who were running ads on X, Elon Musk’s controversial social media platform, and found the advertisers did not know they had ads on the platform. The placement is due to a partnership between X and Google announced last year that places some Google ad inventory in X’s main feed. A Google spokesperson says advertisers have the ability to blacklist websites or apps on Google’s ad backend. A vital takeaway from this is the importance of knowing where ads are running for any given campaign, and that companies should have the opportunity to exclude inventory.

As the presidential election approaches, where do influencers come in? by Antoinette Siu

With the first Creator Economy Conference happening in the White House last week, influencers are front of mind this election cycle. According to Pew Research Center, U.S. adults who regularly get their news via TikTok has increased from 3% in 2020 to 14% in 2023. This years’ DNC will be offering press credentials to content creators for the first time, including access to attendees and logistical support. Every podcaster is an influencer, and the popularity of political podcasts shows the industry is poised to fully leverage election cycles like this one.

As for the rest of the news…