During its developer’s conference Friday, Apple announced a major change to its podcast app, formerly known as iTunes Podcasts.
The company will now offer basic analytics on the performance of podcasts on its app, such as when people listen, how long they listen, and when they bounce out of a show.
Apple has long been the number one destination for podcasting, generating some 60%-70% of all podcasting traffic. It’s no surprise then, that in the past, a number of podcasters have expressed frustration with Apple’s apparent lack of commitment to the channel, especially considering how prevalent it has become today, acting as something of a reinvention of terrestrial radio.
The company used to provide very little to either creators or advertisers in the way of performance metrics, showing little more than the number of times a show was downloaded.
The announcement of these new analytics could signal a sea change in the marketing viability of podcasts. The medium has grown considerably in the last decade or so, and it’s a trend that parallels the growth of online communities across the web. Like the various subreddits on Reddit, people seek podcasts for specific, nuanced takes on topics or fields of deep interest to them.
This, of course, makes podcasts a great format for marketing relevant products or services to these specific audiences. But advertisers haven’t had much data to go on to this point, other than the content of a podcast itself.
Stronger, more actionable data from the largest podcast platform will only help the growing podcast market, and further legitimizes the format as a media for marketers to watch.
