The Joe Rogan controversies rumble on, but yesterday Spotify revealed its latest moves to become top dog in the podcasting market: two more corporate acquisitions. The streaming service is buying Podsights and Chartable.
Who they? Data firms. Podsights measures podcast advertising, while Chartable provides podcast makers with analytics on their listening and audiences. So, this is about improving the data that Spotify is able to provide to podcasters and brands alike.
Chartable will sit within its business alongside two other acquisitions: Megaphone (which Spotify bought in November 2020) and Whooshkaa (snapped up in December 2021), so there’s a sense of bricks falling into place in Spotify’s audio strategy beyond music.
But also in music, actually, when it comes to Podsights. “Over time, we plan to extend these measurement capabilities beyond podcasts to the full scope of the Spotify platform, including audio ads within music, video ads, and display ads,” explained the company.
Elsewhere, US firm iHeartMedia is leading a Series A funding round for another podcasting tech firm, Sounder, which was co-founded by Spotify’s former VP of global business operations. Another reminder, if needed, that expansion into podcasts – whether you’re a music streaming service or a radio giant – is not just about buying up shows and production companies.
It’s as much (or perhaps more) about the back-end tech around that content. And while this may be focused on spoken-word shows now, it could help these companies ultimately generate more ad-supported revenue that can flow to the music industry too.
Tools: platforms to help you reach new audiences
Tools :: Wyng
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