MAM
Nielsen tunes in as Podscribe maps podcast ads with DMA precision
MUMBAI: When it comes to podcasts, location isn’t just about where you hit play, it’s about where the ads land. In a move set to fine-tune the fast-growing digital audio space, Nielsen has struck a deal with Podscribe, an independent measurement and verification platform for podcast and audio advertising, to integrate its proprietary Designated Market Area (DMA) data into Podscribe’s reporting suite.
The partnership gives Podscribe access to Nielsen’s standardised DMA® information spanning 210 media markets across the US, arming advertisers and publishers with sharper geographical audience insights. For buyers, it means laser-focused geo-targeted ads; for sellers, it translates into proving the true reach and value of their inventory with trusted, industry-wide benchmarks.
Long considered the gold standard for audience geography, Nielsen’s DMA data is already widely embedded in media planning and buying. Its application in podcasting promises to bring the same consistency and comparability enjoyed in television and radio to the digital audio frontier.
With the integration, Podscribe users will be able to:
● Access localized ad targeting and reporting at the media market level.
● Segment data internally or with third-party partners by geographic market.
● Standardize audience mapping across campaigns for more transparency.
Calling it “a significant step forward,” Podscribe CEO/founder Pete Birsinger said the move would strengthen trust and accuracy: “This partnership ensures that our buyers and sellers have access to standardized and trusted geographic market definitions, enabling more effective localized ad targeting and streamlined reporting across the board.”
Nielsen managing audio director Rich Tunkel stressed the importance of a common language for measurement: “Podscribe’s collaboration with Nielsen emphasizes the importance of industry-wide standardization across all digital audio impressions. Using the most up-to-date Nielsen local market data will allow for consistent evaluation and comparability across all media platforms, with effective and efficient results.”
Podcast advertising is booming but without consistent definitions of who’s listening and where, the industry has risked fragmentation. By baking in Nielsen’s DMA insights, Podscribe positions itself at the intersection of innovation and standardisation, offering buyers confidence in reach and sellers a stronger pitch for their ad slots.
In other words, in the battle for ears and ad dollars, geography just found its groove.
Brands
Google says Gemini AI cuts irrelevant ads by 40 percent
AI driven search and ad tools boost relevance and results for brands.
MUMBAI: In the never ending hunt for the right ad at the right moment, artificial intelligence may finally be sharpening the aim. Google says the integration of its multimodal AI models, Gemini, has reduced irrelevant advertisements across its platforms by 40 percent, as improved query understanding allows ads to match user intent more closely.
Speaking at a roundtable on Thursday, Google vice president of Global Ads Dan Taylor said the company has been steadily deploying Gemini powered upgrades to interpret complex search queries more accurately. “We have been making Gemini based improvements to query understanding at a rate of almost one launch per month over the last two years. As the models improve and our ability to deploy them improves, ad quality continues to get better,” Taylor said.
The improvements come as Google leans deeper into AI driven advertising tools. According to the company, 2025 saw a threefold increase in Gemini generated creative assets produced by advertisers using its AI powered ad solutions.
The company also highlighted how these tools are influencing marketing performance for brands in India.
Insurance marketplace Policybazaar recorded a 28 percent rise in health insurance sales while reducing cost per sale by 23 percent after adopting AI Max, a tool that interprets natural language search queries to improve ad targeting.
Meanwhile, hospitality platform OYO reported 50 percent higher return on ad spend (ROAS) and a 25 percent reduction in cost per acquisition after combining its existing search campaigns with Google’s Performance Max (PMax) advertising campaigns.
Taylor noted that evolving consumer behaviour is also reshaping how brands approach digital advertising. According to Google’s data, 86 percent of shoppers in India using Google Search said they were open to trying new brands or products, suggesting that AI driven discovery tools could increasingly influence purchase decisions.
Beyond advertising, Google is also investing in what it calls agentic commerce, an emerging model where AI agents autonomously assist users in discovering, comparing and purchasing products online.
“Our goal with agentic commerce is twofold, first, to remove the grunt work of shopping so consumers can focus on the fun parts; and second, to work hand in hand with the industry to build the foundations needed to make agentic commerce seamless and secure across the web,” Taylor said.
The push into AI enhanced advertising and commerce comes as Google’s core ads business continues to grow. The company recently reported $82.28 billion in advertising revenue, marking a 13.5 percent year on year increase.
For advertisers navigating an increasingly crowded digital landscape, Google is betting that smarter algorithms and sharper intent signals will make ads feel less like interruptions and more like timely suggestions.
