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Nielsen: Podcast Growth Should Lead to More Ad Engagement


A new report from Nielsen suggests continued strong podcast growth should start to see more engagement from advertisers. Today, light podcast listeners account for almost half (49%) of the total podcast audience, and data from Nielsen Podcast Buying Power, which provides insight into who is listening to podcasts, shows how podcast reach is growing across age groups, including adults 40-55, who now account for almost half (47%) of listeners in aggregate.

The increasing appeal of podcasts to general audiences is exactly why brands and agencies need to be tracking engagement with them and leveraging the opportunities in their marketing strategies and campaigns.

"The growth of podcasting has brought a massive opportunity for advertisers to reach highly engaged audiences," says Arica McKinnon, Vice President, Client Consulting at Nielsen. "While the industry has made strides to capture metrics like downloads, brands have been challenged to understand the impact of ads. Today, those challenges are fading."

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