by Gavin Gaddis
REMINDER: This Wednesday at noon EST, Sounds Profitable’s Tom Webster and Bryan Goldmark of Locked On will be debuting Trust and Attention: Why Sports Media Wins (and How Brands Prove It) in a live webinar. The report provides an expanded dive into the unique value of the sports podcast audience. Grab your virtual seat now!
Inside Audio Marketing covers The Future of Measurement 2026, a WARC report identifying three major trends expected to influence advertising and media industries in 2026. The trends are growing use of outcomes-based measurement, the expanding role of AI in campaign analysis and planning, and the emergence of “creative intelligence.” The third trend: rising demand for AI and machine learning tools to measure, optimize, and predict creative performance at scale before launch.
The Scalable newsletter takes a look at how creator spending and advertising is changing. Though IAB projects $44 billion in creator ad spend this year, promotion strategies are shifting. In the shortform world, sponsored content is taking a back seat to paid ads featuring content creators. The world of clipping is also changing the game, as instead of paying platforms directly to boost content, creators are going to third-party services to pay clippers to make their content go viral through networks of third-party accounts.
The Scalable newsletter takes a look at how creator spending and advertising is changing. Though IAB projects $44 billion in creator ad spend this year, promotion strategies are shifting. In the shortform world, sponsored content is taking a back seat to paid ads featuring content creators. The world of clipping is also changing the game, as instead of paying platforms directly to boost content, creators are going to third-party services to pay clippers to make their content go viral through networks of third-party accounts.
The New York Times’ quarterly report says digital advertising revenues increased 31.6% year over year in Q1 2026. Podcasts lack specific earnings data, but CEO Meredith Kopit Levien said NYT has gained by expanding into high-demand areas. Kopit Levien also noted video is an important area of strategic investment.
The UK government confirms “podcast and other audio publishing activities” will join the SIC 2026 framework. The SIC plays an important role in shaping how businesses are classified in government and financial systems in the UK. AudioUK flags podcasting’s inclusion in the new SIC as a significant step forward in how podcast and audio businesses will be defined, understood, and supported in the UK economy.
…as for the rest of the news:
Podnews reports the Golden Globes has modified its eligibility rules for the 84th edition of the awards, increasing the number of eligible podcasts from 25 to 30.
Jim Ballas has been promoted to President, Measurement at Magellan AI (Congrats, Jim!).
The American Public Media series Marketplace Morning Report has named Kimberly Adams as its new host.
A recent episode of Italian, For Sure interviewed Francesco Tassi, co-founder and CEO of Milan-based podcast creator network VOIS.
Exclusive from Podnews: Daylight Media has acquired the online publication Podcast Review. Alice Orr has been appointed Managing Editor.
ProPublica has launched Paper Trail, a flagship investigative journalism podcast produced in partnership with PRX.
Acast has launched a video podcast titled Acast Financial Reporting, in which each episode will be a recording of its latest quarterly earnings call.
