Around the Net

Podcasts Face Ad Hurdles Over Concerns About Measureent And Scale

The Wall Street Journal Reports that podcasts, while a hit with listeners who devour their rich content, are suffering as large advertisers hold back on investing in them due to concerns over scale, metrics, targeting and measurement. The paper reports that advertising revenue growth has been limited by a range of problems "not unlike the issues that online media faced in its early days. It’s difficult to measure how many people actually tune into a podcast, let alone listen to hosts promoting its sponsors. Ads in podcasts are relatively expensive, so it’s tough for brands beyond direct-response advertisers to determine whether the investment pays off. And the process of buying and selling ads in podcasts is still complex and clunky." The Journal reports that advertisers are expected to spend about $35.1 million on podcasts this year, up about 2% from last year, according to ZenithOptimedia. Marketers continue to invest an estimated $15 billion a year in radio and $70 billion in TV.

Read the whole story at Wall Street Journal »

Next story loading loading..