The Situation
Digital audio ad spend in the U.S. is projected to reach 6.02 bn in 2025, leaving room to grow for those who wish to harness its value. Agencies continue to warm up to programmatic deals, with decision-makers who responded to an AdsWizz survey saying that 23% of their digital audio buys are programmatic on average.
The programmatic audio market is still in its nascency but is expanding capabilities exponentially. U.S. programmatic digital audio ad spend topped $1 billion in 2021 and is projected to increase to $1.84 billion by 2024, resuming double-digital year-over-year growth. Programmatic buying decreases the labor of direct buying, enhances productivity, reaches addressable audiences at scale, and targets those who matter most through the right touch points. And with the right technology, programmatic can streamline digital audio advertising’s true potency.
As the most prominent publicly-traded minority-owned certified media and entertainment company in the U.S. since 1983, Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) has had considerable reach within the Hispanic community (delivering Spanish-language radio programming to more than 290 affiliated stations, reaching 95% of the U.S. Hispanic audience) for four decades, thanks to its culturally pertinent audio, digital, video, and live music experiences.
SBS wanted to enhance access to its premium audio content to sell audio advertising in the United States by finding the right advanced audio technology to make demand source connections and monetization more efficient and streamlined.
The Programmatic Solution - Tech & Tools
SBS partnered with AdsWizz to utilize AdWizz’s advanced audio tools and regional media sales channels, including SXM Media, the combined advertising sales group of Sirius XM Holdings, to empower SBS to bridge the gap between publishing, ad tech, and sales.
For SBS, the programmatic solution is a supplement to their direct sales, not a replacement. A balance and blend of both strategies (powered by advanced advertising technology) can be a powerful additive to audio campaigns.
Results…and Beyond
With AdsWizz’s access to SBS’s audio inventory and a full stack migration, the partnership will produce a genuinely holistic audio strategy that supports SBS publishers and advertisers and ultimately provides a fluid audience listening experience. This partnership incorporates AdsWizz exclusivity in monetizing SBS programmatically so that SBS can focus on direct sales.
For advertisers, this also means more open access to SBS’s highly active and sought-after Hispanic community of listeners. Advertisers can connect with SBS’s audio inventory via SBS’s direct sales team or through connected demand sources: AudioMatic, AdsWizz’s demand-side platform; the AdsWizz Marketplace, which enables publishers and advertisers to transact on audio inventory easily; and AdsWizz direct integrations with major third-party demand-side platforms (DSPs).
“AdsWizz is truly leading the charge on bridging the gap between publishers, ad tech, and sales channels. Today’s announcement demonstrates we are in very capable hands to accelerate our growth as a company looking to ramp up our efforts in the digital audio space. Although our roots are in radio broadcasting, we know the importance of adapting to evolving audience behaviors, and having a relationship with AdsWizz means we will be at the forefront of that change and will help ensure we keep delivering the best experiences to our dedicated audiences.”
Albert Rodriguez, President of SBS
Technology for a sound world.
