Japan-based digital audio advertising agency Otonal has partnered with The Asahi Shimbun Company to produce Survey of Podcast Usage in Japan #4. The survey is built from 10,000 respondents aged 15-69 in Japan and 800 daily podcast listeners selected by demographic breakdown. Key findings include that podcasts are as popular as TikTok consumption across all age groups. Approximate 50% of listeners consume more than three shows regularly. Podcast usage across all populations was 15.7%, though when filtered for teens it rises to 32.8% and 25% for respondents in their 20s. [Source]

Rain News breaks down the 94 page full-year summary report from Acast. Highlights include a net sales of around $150 million USD with a gross margin of 32%. In a segment illustrating advertiser benefits, Acast shows podcasting averages a 6.2x long-term return on advertising spend for podcasts, compared to 4.6x for social media and 4.5x for online video. Acast has also issued a release this week celebrating a decade of podcasting. [Source]

YouTube liaison Rene Ritchie has published a six minute interview with YouTube CPO Johanna Voolich about podcasting on YouTube. Voolich discusses video podcast audiences’ desire for a video element, but also their ability to listen while on the go. Which is in line with Sound You Can See’s findings when surveying video podcast consumers: respondents enjoy video podcast content that promotes lean-in attention, but also have no problem switching to audio versions of the same podcast when switching to more engaging tasks like chores or driving. [Source]

The Media Ratings Council has released an update for invalid traffic (IVT) guidance for third-party measurement firms. The guidance, meant to be used by advertisers to avoid buying fraudulent ad inventory, includes new variants of domain spoofing and property-level reporting. The latter is intended to address the proliferation of made-for-advertising websites. The new guidance establishes classification today with the intent of enabling filtering of known bad actors in the future. [Source]

…as for the rest of the news:

• Steven Goldstein covers the current and future pitfalls of AI-generated audio and what companies need to consider before implementing generative content. 

• Tribeca Festival has announced their 2024 Audio Storytelling program, with Audible returning as exclusive sponsor.

Research Database Snapshot

What it says: Podcast listeners are more likely to go out of their way to support the brands that support their favorite shows

What it means: YouTube creators are often thought of as the ultimate influencers, but these data suggest podcast creators could be even more influential!

Why it’s cool: The question asks if you’d “go out of your way” to support a brand - that’s more than a casual purchase - it’s intent and agency.

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