Podcasts have become a regular and trusted source of news, entertainment, and information for millions of listeners around the world. And user behavior on Spotify globally supports this trend. In fact, 25% of our users now listen to podcasts on our platform,¹ while listenership continues to grow at triple-digit rates year over year.² Here in Australia, it's the same story: 1 in 3 internet users reported listening to podcasts last year, and over half of Gen Z respondents said the same.³ Podcasts are now a global, mainstream medium for a wide-ranging audience of tuned-in listeners.

That’s why we’re excited to announce that Spotify Podcast Ads are now available in Australia, allowing advertisers to reach valuable and engaged audiences across many of Spotify’s Original and Exclusive podcast titles. Historically, a lack of clear and equivalent measurement has prevented podcast advertising from truly taking off like its digital media counterparts. This is because podcast content is still largely downloaded via RSS feeds — which limits the advertiser’s visibility into whether their ad was actually heard. But the shift in consumption from downloads to streaming has opened the door for advances in data-driven podcast advertising. And as the world's most popular audio streaming subscription service, we’re moving beyond these constraints to reimagine what's possible for this uniquely powerful and intimate medium.

Spotify Podcast Ads offer the intimacy of traditional podcast ads, with the precision and transparency of modern-day digital marketing. Powered by Streaming Ad Insertion (SAI), Spotify Podcast Ads deliver and report on confirmed ad impressions, rather than downloads. This is a major step forward for podcast advertising — providing marketers with key information about who heard their ad and how the creative performed. With this new level of digital insight, advertisers are equipped to make even more data-driven decisions for their podcast campaigns.

Pieter Manten, Head of Sales AUNZ at Spotify, commented on the launch: “The more digital audio continues to be part of the daily lives of Australians, the greater the opportunity for brands to find and connect to their audience. With Spotify Podcast Ads we aim to take podcast advertising to the next level, offering brands unique insights into their audiences and creative solutions that can truly capture consumer attention. We’re really excited about the impact we can deliver for brands.”

Spotify Podcast Ads are available across our most popular Original and Exclusive content in Australia, including popular titles like Gee Thanks, Extremes, and The Joe Rogan Experience. Advertisers can purchase Spotify Podcast Ads on a title-by-title basis — running their creative across preroll or midroll ad placements within the show’s episodes. Select hosts across these shows (as well as a network of professional voice talent) can also team up with advertisers to help bring their podcast creative to life on Spotify.

This is just the beginning. Stay tuned as we continue to launch in more markets and release exciting, innovative new features in the near future.