SiriusXM intros AudioID via AdsWizz subsidiary; promises “a new era of identity”

SiriusXM unleashed a press release today — dense and carefully worded — introducing a new SXM Media technology called AudioID on the AdsWizz audio ad tech platform owned by Sirius. The public announcement (read it HERE) promises a new kind of data and personal ID relationship between listeners and marketers, without exactly describing what the changes will be. We dive in. Continue Reading

Brad Smith, Simplecast founder, named Head of Podcast Products at SiriusXM

Serial entrepreneur Brad Smith, who founded podcast hosting platform Simplecast, has been named Head of Podcast Products for SiriusXM, effective immediately, the company tells RAIN. Smith will manage a team responsible for SiriusXM’s podcast product strategy across all of its owned platforms – including SiriusXM, Pandora, and Stitcher. Continue Reading

“Programmatic is not a four-letter word” — AdsWizz pitches ad tech at IAB Podcast Upfront

In a four-hour Podcast Upfront event featuring 14 presentations, most of them multi-element video productions, some of them featuring celebrity podcasters and ferociously upbeat conversations, AdsWizz gave its “share of stage” to soft-spoken CEO Alexis van deWyer for earnest advocacy of his company’s future-leaning ad-tech expertise. There were metrics, too. Continue Reading

AdsWizz certified for “audibility” by IAB Tech Lab

AdsWizz, a leading global technology provider for digital audio advertising solutions, has been certified by the IAB Tech Lab as Open Measurement Software Development Kit (OM SDK) compliant. If that makes your eyes cross, think of it as “audibility.” This is the first time an audio ad-tech provider has had their SDK (Software Development Kit) certified for this compliance, enabling “audibility” verification of audio ads. The purpose of this standard is to give audio advertisers authentication that their ads are heard.  Continue Reading

SoundCloud (unsurprisingly) picks AdsWizz for exclusive ad-repping in 14 Euro markets

AdsWizz is trumpeting a major get — Berlin-HQ’d global streamer SoundCloud has chosen the U.S.-HQ’d global ad-tech company AdsWizz to exclusively represent digital audio ad sales in significant European markets. This deal has an in-house feeling; AdsWizz is a subsidiary of Pandora, which is owned by Sirius XM, which also owns 30% of SoundCloud.  Continue Reading

AdsWizz milestone: 1M PodScribe transcripts completed for sharply targeted advertising

Just over a year since ad-tech company AdsWizz launched PodScribe, a proprietary podcast transcript feature, the company has announced that one-million episodes have been transcribed and are available for word-specific targeting by podcast advertisers. The tool illuminates contexts within podcast episodes and enables advertisers to target brand-safe positioning, and avoid brand-unsafe contexts. Continue Reading