Podcast Revenue Growth Slowed in 2023, According to IAB’s U.S. Podcast Advertising Study

After consecutive years of healthy double-digit growth, podcast ad revenues grew at a slower pace in 2023 posting a modest revenue increase of 5% to $1.9 billion, according to IAB’s U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study: 2023 Revenue & 2024 – 2026 Growth Projections.

This was due in large part to a challenging advertising climate that particularly affected mid-tier companies, resulting in losses that tempered the sector’s overall growth trajectory.

The eight annual IAB U.S. Podcasting Advertising Revenue Study, prepared for IAB by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”), quantifies annual podcast advertising revenues generated over the past year, analyzes revenue share by ad category and content genre, and forecasts future revenues through 2026.

“While a few of the largest podcast companies maintain double-digit growth, mid-tier companies hit a speed bump,” said Chris Brudelere, VP, Insights & Content Strategy, IAB. “But revenue is already bouncing back.”

Podcasting is projected to return to double-digit growth (12%), with revenues of over $2B this year. It is on track to reach nearly $2.6B by 2026. Publishers will fuel growth through various initiatives, including measurement, programmatic, live events, more aggressive show promotion, and the continued development of video podcasts.

Comedy and Sports are Top Performers

Likely aided by shows from notable comedic personalities, comedy’s revenue share grew by four points in the past two years and is now among the most-listened-to  podcast genres, (overtaking news and sports) and gained nearly 300 new advertisers in Q4’23 alone.

Sports is the second most popular content genre for the second straight year, down slightly from 2022 (15%) to 13%.

“Between comedy and sports, consumers are using podcasts to be entertained and delighted – which provides a sanctuary from other serious headlines playing out across the nation and the world,” said David Cohen, CEO, IAB. “It’s where the greatest engagement and subsequent ad dollars are.”

CPG and Retail Brands Boost Revenue

CPG and retail brands revenue was up 4% and 5% respectively since 2022. Advertisers are shifting to digital platforms like podcasting that enable more direct connections with consumers.

Diversity Remains a Unique Strength

The wide variety of subjects podcasting addresses and the rapport between podcasters and their listeners continue to make the medium uniquely attractive for advertisers who need to reach niche audiences.

More than a quarter of podcasting revenues were in the “other” category, such as government, non-profit, pets, home, and more. These individual categories are often small but are so highly targeted that they are very appealing to advertisers who need to reach a niche audience affordably.

The full IAB U.S. Podcast Advertising Study can be downloaded here.

Methodology

A quantitive, online survey was sent to leading podcast industry professionals in February to understand 2022 podcast advertising revenues, revenues by industry category and content genre, as well as forecast revenue growth for the next 3 years, As in prior years, this coincided with a podcast advertising market-sizing to deliver an estimate of the market in the United States, inclusive of any non-survey participating companies.

2022 Podcasting Ad Revenue Up 26% YoY According to IAB’s US Podcast Advertising Report.

Podcasting continues to be one of the fastest growing digital channels, growing two times faster than digital advertising overall, according to IAB’s “U.S. Podcast Advertising 2022 Revenue & 2023-2025 Growth Projections” study, released on May 11 during IAB’s Podcast Upfront.

The seventh annual IAB U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue study, prepared for IAB by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PWC”), quantifies annual podcast advertising revenues generated over the past year, analyzes revenue share by ad category and content genre, and forecasts future revenues through 2025.

Sports, Society & Culture, and Comedy are Now the Top Revenue-Generating Content Genres

Sports (15%), Society & Culture (14%), and Comedy (14%) are now the top revenue-generating content genres, taking the lead from News and Political Opinion content (down from 19% to 12%).

“In-person sports, lifestyle events, and in-store shopping have come back in a big way, taking the lead news which held the top revenue genre spot since 2018,” said Eric John, Vice President, Media Center, IAB. “Podcasting revenue naturally reflects that shift in consumer behavior and it will be interesting to watch how the balance changes going forward.”

Category Diversification and the Democratization of Podcast Advertising

Podcasting continues to evolve as an ideal medium for niche audiences, attracting advertisers in a wide range of categories including Advocacy, Education, Home Improvement, and beyond. These smaller categories, collectively, are driving 28% of all revenues.

“Both mass and niche advertisers like the audiences, targeting, and ROI along with the brand-safe and suitable environments that podcasting offers,” added John.

The low cost of podcast production has led to an ever-widening array of diverse voices providing authentic content that niche audiences crave.

“It’s clear now that the growth of podcasting was not just a temporary shift in behavior” said David Cohen, CEO, IAB. “The diversity of voices and content – often targeting underserved audiences – is driving more listenership and more time spent, and that is attracting more advertisers.”

For the full IAB “U.S. Podcast Advertising 2022 Revenue & 2023-2025 Growth Projections” report, click here.

IAB’s Podcast Report Part II to be Released Later this Year

During IAB’s Audio Leadership Gathering in the fall, IAB will release its 2023 Podcast Part II, that will examine the drivers, strategies, and tactics related to 2022 revenues as well as, for the first time ever, reveal insights from the current year’s (2023) performance.

Methodology

A quantitative, online survey was sent to leading podcast industry experts in February to understand 2022 podcast advertisers revenues, revenues by industry category and content genre, as well as forecast revenue growth for the next three years. As in prior years, the coincided with a podcast advertising market-sizing to deliver an estimate of the market in the United States inclusive of non-survey participating companies.

About IAB

The interactive Advertising Bureau empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership comprises of more than 700 leading media companies, brands, agencies, and the technology firms responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital marketing campaigns.The trade group fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing. 

In affiliation with the IAB Tech Lab, IAB developed technical standards and solutions. IAB is committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge, skills, expertise, and diversity of the workforce across the industry. Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., the trade association advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policymakers. Founded in 1996, IAB is headquartered in New York City.

 

Libsyn Sponsors IAB Upfront & Unveils April 2023 CPM’s

Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”), the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers announced its sponsorship 2023 IAB Podcast Upfront and April 2023 Podcast Advertising Rates, including the highest and most accessible CPM categories.

2023 IAB Podcast Upfront

Libsyn is a proud VIP Sponsor of the 2023 IAB Podcast Upfront, a marketplace event specifically designed for brands, agencies, and media buyers to preview the latest in innovative podcast programming. The event will take place in NYC at Quorum by Convene (1221 Avenue of the Americas) and virtually on IAB.com.

Chris Bowlby, Head of Brand Partnerships at Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast, and Meredith Krantz, Director of Brand Partnerships at Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast, will both be on hand to delve into the insights-rich, brand-safe, addressable, and scalable opportunities available to advertisers seeking to reach targeted and niche audiences.

“We’ve seen a real shift from advertisers taking a test-and-learn approach to fully integrating podcasting into their media strategy,” said Dave Hanley, Chief Revenue Officer at Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast. “As advertisers look to optimize their investment strategies, we continue to provide additional tools and solutions to show the efficiency and efficacy of their campaigns in a much more precise and transparent way.”

Stay tuned for the IAB’s seventh annual Podcast Ad Revenue report on May 11, 2023 for podcast advertising results and growth projections.

April 2023 Podcast Advertising Rates

The following rates, which are denoted as cost per thousand or CPM, are published monthly by Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast, the industry’s premier podcast advertising marketplace that connects advertisers with podcasters. The Company releases pricing and provide greater insight into podcasting advertising as a monetization vehicle. The data is derived from actual sales data across AdvertiseCast’s network of thousands of shows, including more than 225 exclusive podcasts.

For April 2023, the average CPM rate was $23.07 for a 60-second ad spot. That figure has increased almost $1.00 (or 4%) over the last month (March 202 avg. CPM rate: $22.09) and has decreased year-over-year (April 2022 avg. CPM rate: $23.84).

The three highest CPM categories in April based on delivered advertising were:

Technology: $28

Education: $26

Business: $25

Moreover, three categories where advertisers can effectively tap into highly engaged audience at more accessible CPM rates include Arts, Music, and Fiction, which averaged around the low twenties in April.

Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast combines an industry-leading ad buying and management platform with full-service capabilities that make it easy for podcast advertisers to initiate and manage highly targeted and measurable campaigns, while providing maximum return for creators. Historical monthly CPM rates can be found on AdvertiseCast’s website at www.advertisecast.com/podcast-advertising-rates.

IAB Announces Full Agenda For Its Annual Leadership Meeting

Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the digital media and marketing trade association, unveiled the final schedule for its Annual Leadership Meeting (ALM), taking place from January 22-24 in Marco Island, Florida.

“ALM has been and continues to be the epicenter of the digital economy, surfacing hotly-debated topics facing the ecosystem at large. IAB is the association that brings together the full digital ecosystem. ALM is here we set the year’s agenda, driving the direction of the industry,” said David Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, IAB.”Attendees will gain critical insight and perspective on important topics including measurement, privacy, the streaming revolution, sustainability, and the emerging met averse. ALM is the time for alignment, consensus, and action from all stakeholders.”

The 2023 conferences theme, “It Starts Here,” explores a vision for the industry, and will uncover opportunities, paths forward, new connections, and meaningful ideas for the future. The three-day event will be held in-person at JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, gathering industry leaders to address significant regulatory changes, challenges around consumer privacy and data use, the explosion of retail media networks, the evolving Metaverse/Web3, trust and transparency, and a host of new ad-supported opportunities.”

Speakers will include:

  • Matthew Ball, Pioneering Tech Authority, Venture Capitalist, and Bestselling Author, The Metaverse
  • Krishan Bhatia, President and Chief Business Officer, NBCUniversal
  • Jeffrey Cole, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Center for the Digital Future, USC Annenberg
  • Sean Corcoran, U.S. Chief Executive Officer, Mediahub
  • Soymya Donkada, Head of Digital, Media, and E-Commerce, Beauty and Well-being, Unilever
  • Sean Downey, President, Americas and Global Partners, Google
  • Erin Egan, Chief Privacy Officer, Policy, Meta
  • Michele Fino, Head of Branded Entertainment, Crackle Plus
  • Jeremi Gorman, President, Worldwide Advertising, Netflix
  • Scott Howe, Chief Executive Officer, LiveRamp
  • Jay Livingston, Chief Marketing Officer, Shake Shack
  • Andy Monfried, CEO and Founder, Lotame
  • Ryan Moore, Global Chief Revenue Officer, SuperAweome, an Epic Games Company
  • Ian Orefice, President and Chief Operating Officer, TIME and TIME Studios
  • John Osborn, U.S. Director, Ad Net Zero
  • Christena Pyle, Chief Equity Officer, dentsu
  • Alex Rodriguez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, A-Rod Corp
  • Athan Stephanopoulos, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, CNN
  • Baratunde Thurston, Host, American Outdoors, and How To Citizen Podcast
  • Kevin Warren, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, UPS
  • Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin, Co-founders and Co-Chief Executive Officer’s TheSkimm
  • Andrea Zapata, Executive Vice President, Head of Ad Sales Research, Measurement and Insights, Warner Bros. Discovery

You can find out about the events on the Main Stage Schedule for January 23, 23, and 24, here.

NOTE: The event will not be live streamed this year, ALM has prioritized the value of in-person connections. 

IAB does not require proof of vaccination to attend events. However, it is strongly recommended that in-person attendees be vaccinated, and that you stay home if symptomatic.

US Podcast Ad Revenues Grew 19% in 2020

According to IAB’s U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study, prepared by PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) and released at the IAB 2021 Podcast Upfront, podcast advertising will grow as much in the next two years as it did in the past decade.

Driven by a particularly strong fourth quarter (+37% YoY), podcast advertising revenues climbed to $842 million in 2020, up from $708 million in the year prior.

“Podcasting will grow in the next two years by leaps and bounds,” said Eric John, Vice President, IAB Media Center. “Podcast listeners have shown that – even when working from home – podcasts are a preferred medium. Advertisers are benefiting from new technologies developed to serve these marketplaces, to make podcast advertising more dynamic and measurable than ever before.”

Podcast publishers were well-positioned for the quick pivot, with the leading audio platforms steadily investing in new content and buyer-friendly ad tech. In particular messaging agility, enabled by dynamic ad insertion, made podcasting especially attractive in an unpredictable year. Marketers valued the ability to quickly switch out messaging as-needed: dynamically-inserted ads, which enable ad placement at the point of listener download, increased share of revenue from 48% to 67% year over year. Announcer-read / pre-produced ads, which also put more control in buyers’ hands, increased share from 27% to 35%. Host-read continues to represent over half of the revenue by ad type, which illustrates buyers’ desire to tap the direct, influential relationship creators have with their listeners.

Perhaps the most important shift is that brand advertising (45% of 2020 revenue) is approaching parity with direct response (51% of 2020 revenue). Bigger brands are discovering that podcast advertising can work across the sales funnel.

Additional highlights:

  • At 76%, mid-roll spot placements continued to account for three-fourths (76%) of revenues.
  • Half of podcast ads lasted longer than 30 seconds in length. Seller Perspective: Longer ads allow for creative storytelling.
  • News continued to be the top content genre for podcast advertisers (22% market share.) Seller Perspective: Advertisers should be leaning-in to News.
  • Direct-To-Consumer brands maintained the top advertiser category market share (19%), while Pharmaceuticals more than doubled in share YoY (9%). Seller Perspective: Bigger brands are buying in.

“The big takeaway from consumer behavior pre, during, and post pandemic is that podcasting has tremendous growth ahead. Consumers love listening and will integrate it into they live whenever it fits. Advertisers love the flexibility to adjust their messaging on the fly. And most importantly, brands are continuing to shift to podcasting simply because it works: when they run an ad, the cash register rings,” said John.

For the IAB Full-Year 2020 U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Report, click HERE.

IAB Tech Lab Releases Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines 2.1

IAB Tech Lab has released the Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines 2.1 for public comment for a 30-day period which began on December 2, 2020, and lasts until December 31, 2020. Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines are standard metrics for both podcast content and podcast ads to provide marketplace clarity through a common language for measurement.

With the podcast industry’s significant growth, and ad revenue projected to reach $1 billion in the U.S. for 2020, there is a need to keep pace with market needs and provide further clarification of the Measurement Guidelines. The IAB Tech Lab Podcast Technical Working Group put together the latest updates on industry best practices to reduce measurement discrepancies and provide a set of recommended metrics and guidelines across the podcast marketplace.

The IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines 2.1 have significant updates over the current version, which was last updated in 2017. They include a new section with guidance on user agent structure, recommendations for IPv6 IP addresses, filtering guidance for Apple WatchOS user agents, and a number of additional podcast player recommendations.

“The podcast industry has remained vibrant during the global pandemic. Podcast listeners are loyal and highly engaged which makes them an appealing target for marketers”, said Shailley Singh, Vice President, Product and Global Programs, IAB Tech Lab. “However, this medium is currently under-utilized due to industry challenges around a commonly agreed-upon set of metrics. The IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines is designed to address this by creating a consistent set of podcast advertising metrics so buyers and sellers can engage in a conversation about campaign strategy with confidence.”

“The changes to the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines v2.1 are the result of hours of conversation, collaboration, and research among podcast industry leaders across a range of topics most notably with respect to guidance for podcast app developers,” said Robert Freeland, Co-Founder and CTO, Podtrac. “The IAB Tech Lab Podcast Technical Working Group continues to iterate on its standards to provide the market with the most accurate and consistent data.”

Steve Mulder, Senior Director of Audience Insights, NPR, added, “Podcasting continued to grow in 2020 despite the COVID-19 disruptions to all of our lives, reinforcing the power of this medium to connect with audiences. With this continued growth, it is vital to accurately measure podcasting effectiveness, and that’s why the updates to the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines matter. These updates ensure podcast metrics can be trusted by publishers and advertisers for making key investment decisions in this powerful medium.”

IAB Tech Lab Podcast Technical Working Group Co-Chairs Include Steve Mulder, Senior Director of Audience Insights, NPR, and Robert Freeland, Co-Founder and CTO, Podtrac.

To review the proposed standard and provide feedback, please go to: https://iabtechlab.com/standards/podcast-measurement-guidelines/

Buzzsprout Receives IAB Tech Lab Certification

Buzzsprout, one of the world’s largest platforms, announced that they have secured IAB Tech Lab certification for podcast measurement compliance. This certification further verifiers Buzzsprout’s years of investment to ensure that its customers’ download, listener, and delivery metrics are accurate.

The IAB Tech Lab’s certification process verifies that companies, like Buzzsprout, are following the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines 2.0 that establish a set of uniform principles for advertising metrics in podcasting. These standards aim to unify the podcast community around a universal and consistent measurement system.

“Buzzsprout has been an industry leader in podcast measurement for years,” said Tom Rossi, Co-Founder, Buzzsprout. “Working through the code audit and carrying our metrics without any adjustments to our implementation was indeed validating, but more importantly our customers will not see any drop in their numbers and now have the official IAB Tech Lab verified seal of compliance behind them.”

Since Buzzsprout was founded in 2009, it has been at the forefront of the movement to ensure podcast downloads and other critical metrics are accurate. IAB Tech Lab certification is Buzzsprout’s latest step in validating those efforts.

Podbean Completed IAB Tech Lab Certification

Podbean announced that has completed IAB Tech Lab Podcast Measurement Independent Certification. Podbean can be found on the list of compliant companies, with the link to Podbean’s full report which covers download, listener, and ad delivery metrics.

According to IAB Tech Lab, “The IAB Tech Lab Podcast Measurement Compliance Program certifies that companies are adhering to the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines, released in December 2017. These guidelines establish a common set of ad metrics for podcasts and a base set of principles that any measurement system should support.” This helps to address industry challenges such as lack of uniformity in measurement systems and how metrics are defined.

“The official IAB Tech Lab certification reassures advertisers about the standardization of data provided by podcasts using Podbean’s PodAds dynamic ad insertion and Ads Marketplace,” says David Xu, CEO of Podbean. “In our continued effort to maximize monetization opportunities for our podcasters, this is an important step to help them attract more advertisers.”

Blubrry Podcasting Becomes First Podcast Hosting Company to Receive IAB Podcast Measurement Certification

Blubrry Podcasting recently made history as the first podcast-hosting service provider to have its podcast stats certified by the Interactive Advertising Bureau Tech Lab for Podcast Measurement Compliance.

“This is the gold standard. There is no substitution to certification of compliance,” said Todd Cochrane, Blubrry CEO. “Ad buyers, networks, podcast hosting platforms, and podcasters now have an audited, validated, certified platform ready to serve them.”

Blubrry, which has been providing podcasting podcast statistics since 2005, was one of several organizations taking part in the extensive independent auditing and certification process based on the standards within IAB’s Podcast Measurement Guidelines. National Public Radio, a nonprofit membership media organization, was also certified.

As part of IAB’s Podcast Technical Working Group, Blubrry and 31 other podcast and traditional media companies contributed to the Podcast Measurement Guidelines, released December 2017, that provide strict rules and guidelines as the basis of certification, including downloads, listens, advertising delivery and advertisement play.

As of today, Blubrry Enterprise customers are able to label their podcast statistics as IAB Certified to be in compliance with the Podcast Measurement Guidelines. Blubrry Hosting customers and those shows using the Blubrry redirect with other platforms will quickly follow (as outlined in this blog post). Blubrry customers should expect no changes to their metrics as the certified platform system has been in place since 2013.

Unlike other providers, Blubrry podcast statistics are platform agnostic, meaning statistics services are not limited to Blubrry hosting customers. This has given Blubrry valuable insights on numerous areas in podcasting, with tens of thousands of shows being measured since 2005.

IAB Released Version 2.0 of the Podcast Measurement Guidelines

IAB published the Podcast Measurement Guidelines last year. Those guidelines provided the first true industry-wide guidelines for measuring ad deliveries in podcasts. This year, IAB published the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines Version 2.0.

The new guidelines provide a recommended process for generating audience and downloading metrics, with information on:

  • Filtering for uniqueness
  • Eliminating pre-load requests
  • Eliminating potential bots and bogus requests
  • Applying thresholds for what gets counted
  • And more best practices.

The Version 2.0 guidelines are long and detailed and well worth reading. The document was developed by the IAB Tech Lab Podcast Technical Working Group, which was led by Steve Mulder (NPR) and Amit Shetty (IAB Tech Lab) The Group included:

  • Acast Stories USA
  • AdGear Technolgies, Inc.
  • AdLarge Media
  • Adswizz Inc
  • Art19
  • Audible.com
  • BlogTalkRadio
  • CBS Local
  • Cox Media Group
  • Cyber Communications Inc.
  • Digital Advertising Consortium Inc.
  • DoubleVerify
  • ESPN.com
  • Libsyn
  • Midroll Media
  • Minnesota Public Radio
  • NPR
  • New York Public Radio
  • Nielsen
  • Pacific Content
  • Pandora
  • PodcastOne
  • Podtrac
  • RawVoice/Blubrry
  • RhythmOne
  • Sizmek
  • Slate
  • Triton Digital
  • Westwood One
  • WideOrbit
  • Wondery