Podcast hosting and technology platform Megaphone sent out the first of what the company promises to be monthly business updates. this one, for September, headlines with number of downloads for that month: 750-million.
“Podcasting continues to grow at an impressive rate, and Megaphone continues to grow right along with it,” Megaphone says. “The industry continues to be a beacon of stability in a tumultuous media landscape.”
The update, presented as an infographic, displays nearly 20 new podcast brands living on the Megaphone platform — podcast shows and networks.
There is a technical note in today’s release, related to mobile ad IDs (MAIDs) in Apple iOS operating system. They will eventually be eliminated, and Megaphone is positioning itself as a leader in educating the podcast industry (especially advertisers) on what that means for targeted podcast advertising. Bottom line: “As advertisers prepare for a future without cookies or MAIDs, this independence will emerge as a competitive advantage for podcast publishers in seeking out brand budgets.”
Finally, there is a short thought-leadership piece by Megaphone CRO and RAIN conference speaker Matt Turck on how to monetize smart speakers. One key point there is the allure and exploration of short-form content, as distinct from generally longer-form podcasting.
“The transient way in which people consume content on their smart speakers suggests that there is a significant untapped opportunity within the short-form audio space for smart speakers. We saw this in the video realm, where bite-sized, snackable pieces of content quickly became the preferred mode of consumption by users. Upon this realization, publishers and advertisers
hurried to fill the demand and reach these audiences, giving rise to the robust short-form video content and advertising ecosystem that attracts billions in ad revenue today.”
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