SXM Media, the audio ad network that combines SiriusXM, Pandora, and Stitcher ad-supported content, is now offering podcast transcriptions to help target audiences based on granular subject matter signals.
The tool for this is already in house; acquired ad-tech company AdsWizz (which is itself a subsidiary of Pandora) owns a transcription service called PodScribe Contextual Targeting. (There might be some confusion here with Podscribe, an independent company dedicated to podcast transcriptions. RAIN has confirmed that the SXM initiative uses the AdsWizz tool, and there is no connection with Podscribe.)
SXM notes that 116-million Americans listen to podcasts. “With that sort of volume, publishers need smarter tools to connect both listeners and advertisers to content that matters to them,” the announcement states. Applying voice-to-text technology is the answer this new feature provides. It is in beta mode as of now.
The pitch to advertisers is that they need a way to sort through huge mounds of content. Some brands dedicate resources to episodic listening to target shows and topics and identify brand-safe marketing opportunities. Providing episodic transcripts allows advertisers to identify individual shows — as opposed to entire seasons or entire podcast titles — to smartly place ads. “Contextual targeting means brands can align with topics that don’t map to a standard podcast category, providing the ability to align with niche interests,” SXM says.
The service is good for creators too, according to SXM Media: “Their show can align with a variety of targetable topics, not just the category their show falls under.”
The beta rollout will transpire over months, eventually available for general use.
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