Spotify can use these acquisitions to further boost podcast listening in two keys ways: It can make more of its networks' content exclusive to Spotify and it can more aggressively promote its networks, like it did this summer with its "Summer of 69" Parcast playlist.Īlongside ramping up content, Spotify is also taking steps to improve measurability on podcast content, which has been a notoriously poor across the industry. Podcasting has struggled with measurability, which has held marketers back from spending more on the format: While growing, ad revenue flowing to the medium is still relatively niche - it's projected to top $1 billion in the US by 2021, per PwC/IAB.Īmong marketers, downloads are typically accepted as measures of impression and reach, but downloads are an imperfect metric because they don't indicate actual listening or completion. The Ringer operates a network of more than 30 podcasts, generating more than $15 million in ad sales in 2018, per sources to The Wall Street Journal last January. That marks the company's fourth podcasting-related acquisition in the last 12 months: Last February, Spotify purchased podcast studio Gimlet and podcast publishing platform Anchor, followed in March by its acquisition of podcast studio Parcast. Podcast usage is likely to grow higher as Spotify further integrates its podcast acquisitions - that will mean both producing more exclusive pods and driving listeners to its owned content. Spotify is buying The Ringer - the pop-culture and sports site and podcast network led by Bill Simmons - with the deal expected to close in Q1 2020, per a company press release. Of that total, 153 million use the free, ad-supported tier and 124 million pay for the ad-free Premium plan. Spotify grew total MAU to 271 million in the quarter, up 31% from 248 million in Q3 2019. Now more than 16% of its global monthly active users (MAU) listen to podcasts on the platform, up from 14% adoption in Q3 2019.
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