Media Roundtable: What is a Download
Calling all Chief Audio Officers–it’s time for another all new episode of the Media Roundtable: Special Edition! To give you the tools to ask the right questions, we’re bringing you a deep dive into an issue that has plagued the industry since its inception - “What is a Download?”
And we couldn’t ask for a better group of guides on this journey. Making his hosting debut is longtime guest, Oxford Road EVP of Strategy & Insights, Giles Martin. Joining him are fellow Oxford Road Luminary and VP of Media Operations, Miranda Romano, along with special guests Bryan Barletta, Partner and Founder at Sounds Profitable, and Pete Birsinger, CEO & Founder of Podscribe.
The question of “What is a Download?” is a surprisingly tricky one. Our industry leaders have worked hard to ensure our podcast compasses are pointing north (or as close to it as possible). This is the story of how they did it and what’s next for CAOs navigating with these same tools.
Download Schmownload? 🤠- Having the common language of downloads–what counts and what doesn’t, are key infrastructure investments in the industry. If podcasting were the “wild west”, having standards on accurately measuring listening intent across all publishers would be the road that makes commerce possible. Get a crash course to understand the work that leaders like Bryan and Pete have already put in to make it happen.
The Data Tells The Story 🤓- What do you do when you start seeing discrepancies in data that you can’t ignore? That’s the situation Pete found himself in, looking over download data that enabled a coalition of podcasting experts to find an automatic download issue from Apple that was skewing the numbers. Any CAOs who’ve had to risk being wrong can surely relate. What to do? First steps: explore alternative explanations and collaborate with outside experts.
The Long Tail ⏳- Apple has fixed the auto download issue in iOS 17, but because adoption of iOS 17 is slower than expected, how long will it be until we get to a more realistic download count? And how should podcasters and advertisers handle ad buys while we wait for a better source of truth?
The answer to the “What is a Download” question is still not definitive, but thanks to the panel on today’s episode, we’re closer than ever before. To add “Podcast Download Savvy” to your CAO’s toolbox, check out the full episode by clicking the link below.