This is the download from Sounds Profitable, your daily source for the essential news in the business of podcasting, brought to you by Spreaker from iHeart. I'm Gavin Gaddis. Here's what you need to know for today, Tuesday, November 19th. First up, Amazon Music to include Audible's unmatched selection of audiobooks.
As of today, Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom have access to the Audible audiobook library and can listen to one book per month at no additional cost. Users that want to go beyond the single title a month either have the option to also start an Audible membership or purchase titles a la carte within the Audible app.
Next up, one in five U.S. adults get their news from influencers. A new study from Pew Research conducted over the summer looked at the impact of news influencers. These are classified as individuals who regularly post about current events or civic issues with at least... 100,000 followers on major social media platforms. Key findings include one in five Americans regularly getting news from influencers on social media. News influencers are more likely to be found on X, where 85% have accounts.
But other platforms like YouTube, 44%, and Instagram, 50%, have healthy presences. Editor's note on this, the study was conducted before the recent surge of blue sky membership in mid-November that could have affected these numbers. 77% of influencers examined have no affiliation or background with a formal news organization. Next up, YouTube Liaison opens up about the algorithm.
YouTube liaison Renee Ritchie discusses the monolithic YouTube recommendation algorithm on a recent episode of the Think Media podcast. He frames the current understanding of the algorithm in scare quotes on YouTube to be backwards, as most assumptions about it can replace the word algorithm with audience and be closer to what's actually happening. According to Richie, YouTube...
recommendations follow what it thinks the audience wants to do. Videos rank differently based on performance, personalization, even if someone watched a video in an incognito window. The algorithm rarely will recommend multiple videos from the same creator, so It aims to suggest the video from that creator that the user is most likely to click on.
Next up, top podcast advertisers, October 2024. Magellan AI is back with their monthly chart, tracking the top spenders in podcast advertising that their data can see, as well as the top movers and shakers that change the amount they invest in the industry. In the top chart, the top three are T-Mobile, BetterHelp, and Amazon, who have all increased their spend month over month in sports, remaining their top genre of investment.
Investment app Robinhood has topped out Movers and Shakers for October with a 1,402% ad spend increase. from $73,600 in September to $1,105,600 this last month. Finally, the FTC thinks data cleanrooms may have a few dusty corners. A new blog post from the Federal Trade Commission takes a brusque stance on data cleanrooms, starting off by pushing back against the image conjured by the name.
While data cleanrooms can add privacy protections and address risks with proper configuration, there is potential for misuse, including obfuscating privacy issues. While the blog post is not legally binding or an official communique from the commissioners, it is a sign the FTC has data cleaned rooms on their radar. Data cleanroom companies interviewed by AdExchanger agree that the FTC's sentiments about DCRs are not themselves a magic bullet. They're a tool that requires careful oversight.
As for the rest of the news, Audio Mob and Cats Media Group have partnered to tackle streaming audio and mobile gaming. Veritonic has released a new infographic showing how podcast advertising is a goldmine for brands. Number 8 and Barometer have partnered to combine the former's audience intelligence with the latter's contextual and brand safety data. Realm has made an exclusive distribution deal with Countdown Network.
Australian true crime podcast Casefile has tapped ACAS for exclusive ad sales globally. Next broadcast media recaps a panel from Advertising Week focusing on U.S. podcast advertising within a global context. And Goalhanger is set to launch The Rest is Classified on November 24th about the world of espionage. Be sure to check out the links to every article mentioned right in your podcast listening app or at soundsprofitable.com where you can also subscribe to the newsletter version.
The download is written and produced by Newton Schottelcotti, Brian Barletta, Tom Webster, and myself. This episode is hosted on Spreaker. For Sounds Profitable, I'm Gavin Gaddis. Download us again tomorrow.