Podcast advertisers could soon compare audio and video inventory using the same measurement framework, under new guidance from the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting.
The AMP Task Force has unveiled what it describes as the first unified impression framework for audio and video podcasting.
The proposal is to establish a common consumption-based currency for advertisers and publishers, while retaining downloads as a delivery signal where they remain useful.
According to AMP, podcast measurement has become increasingly fragmented as listening and viewing have spread across different platforms.
Apple Podcasts measures downloads, Spotify measures streams and YouTube measures views. The task force says those metrics reflect different behaviours and make it difficult for advertisers to compare podcast inventory across platforms.
To address that issue, AMP members unanimously approved four new exposure definitions. These are Podcast Play, defined as 30 seconds of audio or video content played once per user per session, Podcast Audience, Ad Impression and Ad Audience.
The framework is designed to work across both audio and video podcasting and can be applied regardless of platform. AMP says it is also supported by wider adoption of HLS standards and is intended to complement existing measurement systems rather than replace them.
The task force said the approach allows publishers and platforms to continue using current reporting methods while introducing a standard layer for cross platform comparison.
AMP also plans to develop a universal definition of a podcast, alongside a broader cross platform attribution framework.
Full guidance and an implementation guide will be presented at Oxford Road’s CAO Summit on 23 July at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Pete Birsinger, CEO and Founder of Podscribe, said: “The AMP exposure framework finally gives the industry the answer it has needed: a single, consumption-based metric that can work across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and everywhere else.”
Dan Granger, CEO of Oxford Road, said the framework would help “harmonize the way we calculate and price audience exposure” across podcast platforms.
For more information, visit: ampaccords.com.
