Podcast Boom: Tune In to the Fast-Growing Programmatic Channel

Long form, short form, pop culture, fiction, sports, comedy — there's a podcast for everyone. The proliferation of podcasting is clear by looking at the average daily time spent with podcasts. Adults listened to 16 minutes a day on average in 2020, and this  increased to 28 minutes in 2024¹. As podcasts continue to take more of listeners’ time, what does this mean for programmatic advertisers? 

Podcast listeners are incredibly engaged, which drives full funnel performance. In “Podcast Advertising- The Safest Bet,” Sounds Profitable found that 71% of respondents were more willing to consider products or services after listening to podcasts, making this medium competitive with other media including social media, TV, or streaming².  

US podcast advertising revenue has grown more than 115% from 2020 to 2022 with continued growth forecasted through 2025³.  Advertisers are recognizing the value of podcasting and are integrating it into their media buying strategies. In 2024, EMARKETER forecasts that advertisers will spend $2.28 billion on podcasts, and nearly 10% of that will be purchased  programmatically¹.  Podcast ads originally relied on host-read formats but now include more instream placements, allowing for streamlined programmatic activations. 

‍The industry shift towards building trust in podcast buys

‍Audio advertising, including podcasts, is evolving to fit more seamlessly into the programmatic buying model. Major audio platforms are focused on developing solutions for brand safety & suitability to meet the increasingly growing demand the podcast channel is generating. Integral Ad Science (IAS) has expanded its suite of media quality solutions for audio platforms such as Spotify and the SiriusXM Podcast Network. SiriusXM Media introduced a unique collaboration with Barometer, an AI-powered platform for content targeting and brand safety, to provide industry-first third-party verification around brand safety and suitability in podcasting. Podcast publishers like Libsyn, also leverage Barometer for enabling a brand safe environment across their inventory. iHeartMedia utilizes Sounder to power their AI brand suitability tool, which allows for categorization and targeting of podcast content on the episodic level, with real-time content classification and risk assessment. Acast, a podcast hosting platform, promotes conversational targeting tools to support relevant ads and address brand safety concerns. 

The IAB Tech Lab enhanced its OpenRTB framework to boost transparency for audio impressions with continuous updates. One such update is audio content metadata for content consumption transparency, including podcast details such as title, series, and genre. Another includes audio feed types that provide more clarity on podcast vs music vs radio. To share detailed pod information to buyers, they expanded pod bidding to audio. With programmatic audio showing no signs of slowing down, we can expect further advancements within the industry. 

‍Podcasts aren’t just all talk: Yahoo DSP speaks activation

‍Yahoo DSP is helping to lead the shift from traditional buying paths into the modern era of addressable, programmatic activations and has seen similar trends in growth. Omnichannel advertisers are recognizing the value of audio as a programmatic channel. Podcasts were a missing link to access consumers' attention and Yahoo DSP is leading in its ability to make activating on podcast inventory seamless. 

Discover key advantages of leveraging Yahoo DSP to activate across our broad range of premier podcast supply: 

• Access to Leading Podcast Publishers
  
  • Yahoo DSP is integrated with the largest programmatic podcast supply sources. Spanning from our integration with the SiriusXM Podcast Network, powered by Adswizz SSP, to accessing Spotify podcast inventory via guaranteed deals. 
• Early Adopter to New Publisher Supply 
  • Providing you with immediate access to new programmatic audio inventory is a priority for Yahoo DSP. Recent integrations include access to ESPN & ABC News podcasts, as one of the first partners to offer Disney podcasting supply programmatically. 
• Seamless Activation of Podcast Buys into Omnichannel Campaigns
  • Yahoo DSP tools are seamlessly integrated with podcast inventory. From capabilities like forecasting with Omniscope to customizable frequency caps, easily incorporate podcast inventory into your omnichannel activations.  
  • Tap into brand-safe & suitable environments through media verification vendors and curated deals. Find always on context deals for sports, food & drink, BIPOC, and more in our Public Deals library. 
• Scalable Audience Targeting & Measurement
  • Our audio inventory, including podcasts, is automatically enabled with our Yahoo Identity Graph allowing you to reach your target audience. 

Podcasting is rapidly growing in the audio space and is the next big media channel entering into programmatic. This is an opportune time for you to take advantage of this fast-growing channel, through omnichannel tools in Yahoo DSP, to drive full funnel performance.  

¹ “The Podcast Industry Report Statistics,” EMARKETER, July 2024
² “Podcast Advertising- The Safest Bet,” Sounds Profitable, June 2024
³ “U.S. Podcast Advertising 2022 Revenue, & 2023-2025 Growth Projections,” IAB and PwC, May 2023