IAB: A New Framework Is “Not Needed” for Measurement
At the IAB Podcast Upfront during Podcast Week, the IAB’s Jason Adamski introduced a new downloadable guide covering the measurement of video podcasting. Rather than back a single medium-agnostic standard like the recently released AMP Accords, the IAB argues the solution is not to build a new framework from scratch, pointing instead to two existing IAB Tech Lab documents, the Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines and the Digital Video Served Impression Guidelines. IAB Tech Lab has separately put version 2.3 of its podcast measurement guidelines out for public comment, clarifying how server-side download measurement applies across both audio and video, with a version 3.0 focused on streaming video podcasts expected in 2027.
Spotify Expands Its Partner Program for Podcasts to 35 New Countries
Spotify is bringing its Partner Program to more than 35 new markets this fall, including Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Chile, and the Dominican Republic, in the program’s largest geographic expansion yet. Eligible creators can earn from video impressions by Premium subscribers and from ad revenue on the free tier while keeping their own sponsorship deals and the freedom to distribute elsewhere. Spotify says video podcast consumption has climbed 140% since the feature launched and monthly payouts to enrolled shows are up more than a third since January, and it is working with hosts Acast, Audioboom, Libsyn, Omny, and Podigee so their creators can join without switching distributors.
Acast’s Podcast Pulse 2026: The Format Argument Is Over, Audiences Ended It
Acast’s Podcast Pulse 2026 finds that listeners no longer treat audio and video as competing formats. Conducted by Differentology in August 2026 with 4,300 respondents aged 16 to 64 across 13 markets, the study reports that 88% of fans now consume both audio and video, up 10 points from 2025, while 10% remain audio-only and just 2% video-only. It also found that 63% of listeners start an episode in one format and finish in another, and that 42% of fans now trust product recommendations from podcasters, up nine points and the only creator category to gain ground against journalists, YouTubers, celebrities, and social influencers.
…as for the rest of the news:
- Premiere Networks and Buzz Knight Media announced “Jersey Made,” a new podcast hosted by Buzz Knight.
- Red Seat Ventures announced an exclusive partnership with Caleb Hammer’s Financial Audit.
- Bleav named Jim Thompson its Vice President of Sales.
- PRX and Barometer partnered to bring AI-powered brand safety and contextual targeting across PRX’s network.
- A new report covered by Inside Audio Marketing argues audio is the key to reaching more voters with campaign ads ahead of the midterms.
- Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo’s Giggly Squad is moving to SiriusXM in a multiyear deal.
- Reaching Out, a six-part audio memoir from Sayre Quevedo, premiered from Futuro and KCRW after winning the Audio Memoir Award at Tribeca.
