Ad Campaigns
IAB Tech Lab’s Podcast Group proposes measurement updates
Mumbai: IAB Tech Lab, the global digital advertising technical standards-setting body, has announced the latest advancements in podcast measurement with the release of Podcast Technical Measurement Guidelines v2.2. The updates are now available for public comment, until 23 March and the Podcast Working Group invites all podcast companies and industry stakeholders to provide feedback within the next 30 days.
As the podcasting landscape continues to evolve, the need for enhanced metrics and improved filtering logic in server-side measurement becomes crucial. The primary objective of the Podcast Technical Measurement Guidelines v2.2 is to address the challenges faced in measuring downloads of the podcast audio file, where client-side confirmation of ad play is typically unavailable from the player apps that consumers use for listening to their favourite shows. This server-side measurement guidance published by IAB Tech Lab is unique in the industry, setting the gold standard for reliable and transparent podcast measurement.
“With the release of Podcast Technical Measurement Guidelines v2.2, IAB Tech Lab reaffirms its commitment to adapting to the dynamic technology and practices in the podcasting industry,” said IAB Tech Lab CEO Anthony Katsur. “We urge the entire podcast ecosystem to review the guidelines and actively participate in the feedback process. Your input is instrumental in shaping the future of podcast measurement and the growth of this valuable inventory for an audience that tends to be more deeply focused on the content.”
IAB Tech Lab will also be revising the Podcast Measurement Compliance guidance embracing these enhanced metrics and measurement practices. The compliance program empowers podcast companies to compete fairly, ensuring that their inventory metrics align with industry standards certified by a third party. This certification fosters trust among buyers of podcast inventory, paving the way for more reliable and transparent advertising transactions.
“Audio makes up 31 per cent of media consumption, but just 9 per cent of ad spend. To help the medium reach its full potential in advertising and welcome more marketers into the space, we’re proud to work with the IAB Tech Lab to make podcast measurement easier, more transparent, and more standard,” said SiriusXM Media director, Ad Quality Brendan Kelly. “We will wholeheartedly adopt these enhanced metrics and measurement practices to further advance this work.”
The Podcast Technical Working Group includes leading industry players, and key stakeholders, who recognize the significance of aligning industry practices and fostering consistency in measuring podcast inventory, promoting fairness, and building trust among podcast companies and buyers. Their collaborative efforts have been essential in shaping the Podcast Technical Measurement Guidelines v2.2 into an all-encompassing solution for the industry.
NATIONAL: Amazon Ads has laid out a sharply tech-led vision for the advertising industry in 2026, arguing that artificial intelligence, streaming TV and creator partnerships will combine to turn brand building into a more precise, performance-driven business.
At the heart of the shift, the company says, is the fusion of AI with Amazon’s vast trove of shopping, browsing and streaming signals, allowing advertisers to move beyond blunt reach metrics to campaigns designed around real customer behaviour.
“The future of advertising is not about reaching more people, but the right people with messages that resonate,” said Amazon Ads India head and vice president Girish Prabhu. “By combining AI with deep customer insights, we help brands move from broadcasting campaigns to having meaningful conversations wherever audiences spend their time.”
One of the biggest changes, according to Amazon Ads, will be the collapse of the wall between media planning and creative development. Retail media, powered by first-party data, is increasingly shaping everything from brand discovery to final purchase, pushing marketers to design campaigns around audience insight rather than internal instinct.
AI is also moving from a support tool to a creative engine. Agentic AI, which automates and accelerates production, is expected to make high-quality creative accessible even to small businesses, compressing weeks of work into hours and giving challengers the ability to compete with larger brands on speed and scale.
Behind the scenes, AI-driven analytics will take on a bigger role in campaign optimisation, identifying patterns, spotting opportunities and recommending actions that would previously have required teams of analysts.
Streaming TV is another big battleground. With India’s video streaming audience now above 600 million and connected TV users at 129.2 million in 2025, advertisers are set to treat streaming not just as a branding channel but as a performance engine, measured increasingly by sales, sign-ups and bookings rather than just reach.
Finally, Amazon Ads sees creators and contextual advertising reshaping how brands tell stories. Creators will act less like influencers and more like long-term partners, while scene-aware ads on streaming platforms will allow brands to insert hyper-relevant offers into the flow of what viewers are watching.
Taken together, Amazon Ads argues, these shifts mark a move towards advertising that is both more human and more measurable, where AI handles the complexity, and creativity does the persuading.
