Apple’s New iOS 17 Software Is A Positive Step For Podcast Advertisers And Content Creators John Wordock and Pierre Bouvard
The article breaks down the changes to auto-download behavior for Apple Podcasts introduced by iOS 17, including the collaborative effort by a coalition of industry partners to recommend the necessary changes. Now Apple downloads are closer to listening behavior, more in line with brand marketer’s desire for quality audience metrics. Suggestions for creators looking to capitalize on this shift in Apple metrics include urging listeners to actively listen on release days, build a following on Apple Podcasts to offset “download erosion,” and diversify to platforms like Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube. Strategies that will also help subsidize any lost numbers from the retirement of Google Podcasts. [Source]
Triton Digital US Podcast Report 2023
The second annual Triton Digital U.S. Podcast Report has arrived. Key findings include a 12% growth in the number of podcast listeners since 2021, according to Triton’s Podcast Metrics Demos+ data. Podcasting is chipping away at the listener age gap, as the overall population of audiences aged 55 and up is up 22% over two years. News was the most-downloaded genre of podcast last year, followed by True Crime and Comedy. [Source]
Audiobooks Are Booming. Spotify Wants in on the Action by Alexandra Alter
Early signs are coming in that Spotify adding 15 hours of audiobook listening credit to every Spotify Premium account is moving the needle for audiobooks. Without Spotify’s influence, the audiobook market in the U.S. grew 14% in Q4 2023, according to Bookstat’s estimations of retailers like Apple and Audible. When factoring in Spotify numbers provided to Bookstat, the company reached a market share of 11% during Q4 and audiobooks overall grew 28%. Those interviewed on both the research and publishing side believe Spotify’s audiobook sales have brought a noticeable amount of new readers to audiobooks, accelerating an already healthy sector’s growth. [Source]
The Results Are In: Here’s What Americans Streamed in 2023 by John Koblin
Streaming stats from 2023 show an unquestionable dark horse contestant ran away with the year. According to Nielsen data Suits, the legal drama that ran from 2011 to 2019 on USA, got 57.7 billion minutes of watch time last year. That’s more watch time than The Office and Stranger Things during their most-streamed moments (2020 and 2022, respectively). A large part of Suits’ success is attributed to a new generation of audiences not watching networks like USA, meaning Suits coming to Netflix was effectively the same as a Netflix Original with 9 seasons suddenly appearing overnight. Meanwhile Friends continues to gain momentum, nearly doubling its watch time on Max from 2022 to 2023. If there’s one thing podcasting can take away from perennial stories about old TV finding new life on streaming, it’s that long tail content is powerful when advertised and positioned correctly. So powerful one can deck out their brand new Build-a-Bear with a turkey hat referencing an episode of television from 1998. [Source]
Amazon rolls out ads on Prime Video by Jasmine Sheena
Starting yesterday, Amazon has begun running ads on Prime Video in the US, becoming the latest streamer to roll out an ad-supported tier to their streaming platform. Amazon’s press release stresses they’re taking a Max-styled approach of focusing on showing fewer, higher-quality ads. Users who want ad-free viewing can upgrade out of the ad-supported tier for an additional $2.99/month. Adweek detailed three buying options from advertisers: preferred deals starting at $26 base CPM, guaranteed buys starting at $34 CPM, and premium sponsorship commitments ranging between $600k and $8 million that allow advertisers to wholly sponsor a chosen program. CPMs that come close to the podcast industry average rate of $25 for a 60 second ad. Something to keep in mind when considering a medium to add into a media mix with video ads, hint hint. [Source]
…as for the rest of the news: Ari Paparo interviews Spotify’s Per Sandell to discuss the company’s targeting and adtech, Linkfire announces Engaged Listeners metric for Apple Podcasts, branded podcast production Pop by Pacific Content launches, and MediaPost interviews Ad Results Media’s Gretchen Smith about podcast advertising.
