With podcasts on track to be commanding a cool billion dollars in ad revenue, the fight to be the leading listening platform will only be getting more intense. This year kicked off with multiple reports from difference sources with their own datasets about which service is the biggest. Given their varied conclusions, there is understandably some debate in the industry about metrics.
James Cridland of Podnews gave his take on how to reconcile the different assessments, which have come from MIDiA Research, Morgan Stanley, and Libsyn. He explained how the analyses might be coming up with Spotify as the leader in some instances and Apple in others:
I wrote a little thing for a Facebook group. Is Spotify #1? Or is Apple Podcasts #1?
(The correct answer: they both are) pic.twitter.com/Ye05CqAYrg
— James Cridland (@JamesCridland) January 17, 2020
Podcast metrics remain one of the most critical tools for an industry that is continuing to grow at a rapid rate. Having accurate insights are important for both shows and advertisers to gain confidence in the sector, and the recent discussions show that there are multiple ways to measure success. More clarity around these different measurements and their relevance will likely be an ongoing topic through 2020.