The first day of the AdsWizz Global Publishers Summit showcased digital audio’s rapid growth and the power of collaboration in driving monetization. Industry leaders examined key trends shaping 2025, from enhanced ad optimization to programmatic expansion and first-party data strategies. The summit delivered a clear message: Innovation and partnerships are essential to unlocking digital audio’s full potential.
AdsWizz’s Approach to Product Development and Innovation
Before diving in, let’s take a step back and consider the bigger picture. Digital audio is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and with that growth comes new challenges and opportunities. As publishers navigate an increasingly complex landscape—balancing audience engagement, revenue growth, and ad quality—having the right tools in place is more critical than ever.
AdsWizz remains committed to developing cutting-edge solutions that empower publishers to scale, optimize, and future-proof their audio businesses:
- Smarter: Optimized ad delivery enhances listener experience.
- More scalable: Streamlined revenue management simplifies operations.
- More effective: Continuous innovation unlocks new monetization opportunities.
Recent Innovations at AdsWizz
- 260+ new features improving programmatic efficiency, data solutions, and podcast monetization
- Supply chain transparency enhancements that combat fraud and ensure brand safety
- Streaming and podcast monetization tools optimize audience targeting
As digital audio continues to expand, AdsWizz remains focused on helping publishers stay ahead—scaling their platforms, maximizing revenue, and driving innovation across the entire ecosystem.
The Power of Collaboration in Growing Digital Audio Monetization
Anne Frisbie, SVP of Global Business Development at AdsWizz, opened the summit with a clear message: The future of audio is here—and it’s only getting bigger. With listeners streaming and tuning into podcasts more than ever, scaling and optimizing digital audio advertising is critical.
AdsWizz by the Numbers
- 16B monthly dynamically inserted audio ad impressions powered by AdsWizz technology
- 4B monthly audio impressions sold via third-party DSPs
- 2B monthly AdsWizz Marketplace audio impressions
- 550M monthly podcast downloads on Simplecast
- 40M podcast episodes transcribed for brand safety & contextual audience support
“AdsWizz is deeply committed to building a global platform—an open and independent platform for audio designed for the future. This isn’t just about technology; it’s about what we can achieve with that technology when we come together as a community. Many of you have been instrumental in taking our solutions to market, proving that digital audio isn’t just growing—it’s transforming. And as we continue to innovate, your role in that journey is more crucial than ever.”
Market Trends and Predictions
Scott Walker, Chief Ad Revenue Officer at SiriusXM, took the stage to guide publishers and advertisers through this evolving landscape, highlighting six key trends shaping digital audio in 2025 and beyond.
Media Consumption is Changing
- Shift to digital audio accelerates: Listeners continue moving from traditional radio to on-demand streaming and podcasts.
- Podcast hosts are omnichannel influencers: Beyond audio, they engage audiences via video, social, and live events.
- AI is redefining advertising: From real-time optimization to advanced personalization, AI-driven campaigns are the future.
Privacy at the Forefront
- Identity, data, and media convergence: With third-party cookies vanishing, first-party data and AI-driven insights are taking center stage.
- Transparency is non-negotiable: Fraud prevention, domain validation, and invalid traffic (IVT) monitoring are now industry standards.
A New Era
- Evolving audio measurement: Advertisers demand holistic measurement, capturing both brand awareness and conversions.
On AI’s Critical Role in Digital Audio Advertising
“AI is fundamentally changing the way we all work. We all go through our day-to-day and deal with a ton of really clunky workflows—we’re in and out of systems, spreadsheets, software programs, etc. But if we can leverage some of the more agentic or operator-type AI technologies, that can fundamentally change the way that we all work and free up time for higher-order work that is more creative, that is pushing the industry forward.”
Maximizing Publisher Success in the Programmatic Audio Revolution
Brian Gilbert, VP of Marketplace Operations, and Jerome Camerlynck, Director of Ad Product, discussed why programmatic audio is outpacing traditional ad buying.
The Current Climate
- Digital audio ad spend is projected to reach $12.6B by 2025.
- 32+ DSPs (including Amazon DSP) are integrated with AdsWizz.
- Programmatic revenue is growing 3X faster than direct sales.
What’s Driving Programmatic Growth?
- Real-time deal syncing between AudioMax SSP and AudioServe
- Advanced bid health analytics for smarter monetization strategies
- Supply chain transparency with sChain validation
“Programmatic is accelerating. Year-over-year growth in programmatic has outpaced direct sales, with a threefold increase compared to direct. But this isn’t just about shifting budgets from direct to programmatic—it’s about net-new investment, with new advertisers and brands embracing programmatic.” –Brian Gilbert
Programmatic Audio In Action: Insider Secrets & Best Practices for Success
A panel of audio experts, moderated by Brian Gilbert, explored key trends and strategies in programmatic audio and podcasting. The discussion featured Bardo Flores, Senior Director of Global AdTech Operations at Acast; Josh Rothman, SVP & GM of Global Advertising at TuneIn; and Bob Hunt, Senior Director of Audio at Hearts & Science. The group emphasized audio’s growth potential, its role in authentic connections, and the need for transparency, accurate measurement, and client-focused success metrics.
- Acast’s programmatic transformation: Shifting from direct sales to programmatic-first strategies opened doors to new advertisers and advanced targeting.
- TuneIn’s automation advantage: By leveraging connected devices and deep data insights, TuneIn proved the impact of audio on engagement at scale.
- Hearts & Science’s frequency-first strategy: Prioritizing transparency, frequency management, and client-specific metrics ensured programmatic campaigns delivered measurable success.
On the Power of Audio
“We started with direct sales and built our foundation there, but we’ve been invested in programmatic since 2017. Over time, buyers have become more educated and comfortable with podcasting, opening doors that didn’t exist before. We’re now maximizing revenue by joining more marketplaces, onboarding DSPs, and aligning closely with both buyer and seller needs. It’s not just about strategy—it’s about evolving our tech, partnerships, and measurement to meet growing demand and expand the opportunity.” –Bardo Flores
Winning the Podcast Game: Applying Our Decades of Audio Experience for Growth
Molly Ponzo, VP of Ad Product at AdsWizz, led a session on leveraging AdsWizz’s streaming audio expertise to drive podcast growth and monetization. With 500M global listeners and 4.47M active podcasts, the industry is booming. As audience engagement continues to rise, podcast ad spend is expected to reach $4.46B in 2025.
New Features for Expanding Podcasts
To help publishers and advertisers capitalize on this growth, AdsWizz recently introduced new tools and features designed to improve monetization.
- Advanced targeting: Improved audience segmentation using demographics, language, and content context
- Forecasting & delivery optimization: Advanced tools to enhance ad placement accuracy and campaign performance
- Simplified host-read workflows: Automation to streamline host-read ad execution, reducing manual effort
- Predictive pacing & manual adjustments: Ensuring ad pacing aligns with audience behavior and advertiser goals
- Contextual genre, language, and explicit episode enhancements: Improved player classification for better content categorization and ad relevance
AdsWizz is Ioneering the Future of Audio
- Platform unification: Seamlessly integrating Simplecast CMS with AdsWizz monetization tools for a unified experience
- Omnichannel support: Expanding podcast capabilities to support multiple formats and distribution channels
- Expanding content types: Growth in long-form episodic content, short clips, highlights, and subscription-based offerings like early access and live content
- Advanced targeting & reporting: Leveraging RSS + GUID data for more precise ad targeting and audience insights
- Forecasting & delivery optimization: Enhancing competitive separation, ad sequencing, and roadblocking strategies
- IAB Podcast Measurement v2.2 certification: Strengthening standardization and accuracy in podcast ad measurement
On the Podcast Audience Shift
“Gen Z is set to surpass millennials in time spent listening this year—a significant shift in audio consumption. Back in 2020, the average podcast listener spent around 30 to 35 minutes per day tuning in, consuming roughly six episodes per week. Fast forward to 2024, and that engagement has surged to an average of 54 minutes per session, with listeners consuming eight podcasts per week. This growth presents an opportunity for publishers to expand their reach among a young, diverse, and highly influential audience.”
Maximizing Monetization: Strategies for Podcast Success
Moderated by Will Donato, Account Director at AdsWizz, the panel featured Martha Canseco, Senior Manager of Ad Operations at The New York Times; Rob Timony, Senior Vice President of Commercial Advisory at Bauer Media Audio; and Karin Kessler, Vice President of Strategy & Content at Seven.One. The discussion explored key trends in programmatic audio and podcast advertising, emphasizing its rapid evolution, the opportunities it creates, and the need for better measurement and advertiser education.
- Balancing ad formats: A mix of host-read ads, dynamic insertion, and sponsorships maximizes revenue while maintaining a strong listener experience.
- Programmatic growth: Once met with hesitation, programmatic is now unlocking new budgets, particularly from international advertisers.
- Content and ad team collaboration: Strong coordination is crucial, especially for manual, highly effective host-read ads.
- Data and measurement challenges: Privacy restrictions and limited data require better measurement, research, and transparency to educate advertisers.
- Future trends: AI-driven targeting, video integration, and improved measurement will define the next phase of podcast advertising.
On Audio as a Competitive Advertising Channel
“I think it’s about having open and clear lines of communication with podcasters. When we onboard a new podcaster, we figure out the advertisers they’d like to work with and set category blocks early so that we don’t see hiccups down the line. Even with dynamically inserted Host Reads, we work closely with the podcaster to ensure they’re happy with the advertiser and how the proposed message is integrated. Building trust with our Podcasters is key.” –Rob Timony
Unlocking Digital Audio’s Full Potential: Data & Identity in a Privacy-First World
Jason Bauer Rob Quintiliani
Rob Quintiliani, Senior Director of Ad Product at AdsWizz, and Jason Bauer, VP of Audience Data Operations, addressed key industry challenges, including privacy shifts, a fragmented ecosystem, and the increasing complexity of audio advertising. They also showcased AdsWizz’s cutting-edge solutions, helping publishers and advertisers balance personalization, compliance, and monetization.
- Navigating industry challenges: Adapting to evolving privacy regulations and ecosystem fragmentation ensures compliance, streamlines operations, and enhances ad performance, particularly in podcast advertising.
- Harnessing data & identity solutions: First-party data, clean rooms, and contextual targeting enable privacy-compliant, scalable, and precise audience segmentation.
- Advancing targeting strategies: Mood-based, predictive, and location/weather-based targeting drive engagement, improve conversions, and optimize campaign performance.
- Maximizing AdsWizz innovations: Seamless first-party data onboarding and identity solutions enhance audience reach, simplify integration, and boost revenue.
- Driving monetization growth: Enhanced targeting and identity solutions contribute to a 14% eCPM uplift and a 6% bid rate increase, driving greater profitability.
- Preparing for the future: Expanding universal IDs and audience insights will sustain ad effectiveness and compliance amid ongoing industry changes.
On the Rapid Evolution of Advertising Technology
“Every day, new innovations are changing how we approach advertising, from automation to AI-driven targeting. What seemed impossible just a year ago is now a reality and the opportunities to improve efficiency and drive monetization are growing exponentially.” –Rob Quintiliani
Smarter Data, Bigger Impact: How Publishers are Driving Audio Growth and Revenue
Moderated by Rob Quintiliani and Jason Bauer, this panel featured Allan Venn, Digital Adtech Director at SCA; Charlie Brookes, Chief Revenue Officer at Bauer Media & Octave and Seth Freudenburg, Vice President of Audience Platform at TelevisaUnivision. The discussion covered key topics, including data-driven advertising, audience targeting, privacy challenges, and the evolving role of programmatic audio.
- First-party data boosts CPMs: Mandatory sign-ins raise ad rates, with UK publishers seeing a £5 increase per 1,000 impressions.
- Niche targeting grows: Tools such as NumberEight SDK track real-time user behavior for precise ads.
- Contextual ads remain key: GDPR-compliant strategies use device data to predict user needs.
- Sales teams must adapt: Simplified taxonomies and training are crucial for streaming, podcasts, and smart speakers.
- Audio ads evolve with data: Cross-device targeting and pre-built segments enhance execution and engagement.
“The yield difference, certainly in the UK, that we got by putting 1st party data over audio is significant. We saw CPM’s rise with this first-party data solution so it’s definitely worth the effort, but it is complex, you have to iterate, and you have to surround yourself with technology and people who understand how to use it.” –Charlie Brookes
We’re Not Done
- Click here for Day 2 of the AdsWizz Global Publishers Summit!
- Want to maximize your digital audio monetization? Contact AdsWizz to explore the latest innovations.
