Spotify’s new podcast ad tech amps up data tracking

Spotify on Wednesday announced a new podcast advertising technology powered by what it calls Streaming Ad Insertion. The tech, which the company unveiled on the sidelines of private panel discussion at CES in Las Vegas, will allow podcasters and marketers to track and measure more data about the advertising in their podcasts.

Spotify itself is on a serious podcast binge as it looks for ways to lure in new and different listeners. Last year, the company — the world’s leading streaming music service by subscribers — bought podcast companies Gimlet and Anchor, part of a $400 million to $500 million podcast investment effort this year. Podcast users spend almost twice the time on Spotify than other listeners, CEO Daniel Ek has said.

On Wednesday, Spotify said its new ad tech would allow for more audience tracking, providing marketers and podcasters with anonymized insights into the age, gender, device and listening behavior of audiences. It touted that it is the first time this type of data is available for advertisers and podcast creators.