The podcast ad industry is getting a new scorekeeper. Adam Curry, co-founder of the Podcast Index, is launching the Podcast Data Collective (PCDC) to counter what he calls a 'podcast industrial complex' built on inflated metrics. His plan is to aggregate consumption data from independent podcast apps, which he claims cover 10% of the market, and publish it freely. He aims to undercut secretive industry alliances.
One such alliance is the AMP Accords, a group that has operated in secret for a year and has defined a 'play' as a mere 30 seconds of content. John Spurlock, who highlighted the group, expressed skepticism that the ad industry truly wants accurate data. Curry dismissed the 30-second standard as 'bullshit' designed to protect low-quality ad inventory.
"The AMP Accords, a secretive group led by Oxford Road and including ad buyers and Libsyn, have ratified new measurement guidelines. Their definition of a 'play' is 30 seconds of content per user per session."
- Source: Podcasting 2.0
AMP claims inconsistent podcast definitions are costing the industry $1 billion in sidelined ad revenue. However, James Cridland of Podnews notes the group's secretive process and the absence of major bodies like the IAB, YouTube, and Spotify from its roster. Sam Sethi is skeptical a secret group can force industry-wide alignment.
Concurrently, platforms are moving to monetize a different gap. Captivate and Dax US have launched a unified ad marketplace targeting the 'magic middle' - mid-tier shows with loyal audiences that lack enterprise sales tools. Brian Conland of Dax US says they'll offer advertisers a single CPM, using contextual targeting and attribution to compete with streaming.
"James Cridland says the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting (AMP) is defining key terms like 'podcast' and 'impression' to unlock a claimed $1B in sidelined ad demand, with findings to be revealed in July at Oxford Road's CAO Summit."
- Source: Podnews Weekly Review
While Curry's PCDC seeks to rug-pull from the outside by establishing open data, and AMP tries to standardize from within a closed room, the battle is over who defines truth in a market desperate for scalable trust.
