Spotify expands automated podcast buying to 170 million listeners

Spotify announced on July 11, 2025, the expansion of its automated podcast buying capabilities, providing advertisers with direct access to premium podcast ad inventory through both Spotify Ads Manager and Spotify Ad Exchange. The enhancement enables brands to reach approximately 170 million monthly podcast listeners across nearly 7 million podcast titles worldwide through two distinct automated purchasing channels.

The streaming service detailed the expansion during its inaugural Spotify Advance event, emphasizing increased flexibility and control for advertisers buying podcast inventory. Starting July 11, programmatic buyers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Brazil, and Mexico can access Spotify's premium podcast ad inventory through the Ad Exchange. The self-serve Ads Manager platform now provides direct access to podcast inventory for advertisers in eight markets: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.

According to the announcement, Spotify Ads Manager grants advertisers access to premium podcast ad inventory from Spotify's Original & Licensed podcasts and podcasts on Spotify's Audience Network. The inventory includes popular shows such as The Comment Section with Drew Afualo, Science Vs, The Rest is Football, and The Ringer NBA Show. The self-serve platform removes previous barriers that limited smaller advertisers' access to podcast advertising on the platform.

Summary

Who: Spotify announced the expansion, targeting advertisers and programmatic buyers seeking automated podcast inventory access. Major brands including EssilorLuxottica and Instacart represent early adopters utilizing the automated channels.

What: Expansion of automated podcast buying capabilities through Spotify Ad Exchange and Spotify Ads Manager, providing direct access to premium podcast ad inventory from Original & Licensed podcasts and Spotify's Audience Network content.

When: The announcement occurred on July 11, 2025, with immediate implementation of expanded access across the specified markets.

Where: Spotify Ad Exchange operates in 12 markets: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Brazil, and Mexico. Spotify Ads Manager provides access in eight markets: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.

Why: The expansion addresses advertiser demand for automated buying processes that match display and video advertising efficiency while enabling access to Spotify's 170 million monthly podcast listeners across nearly 7 million podcast titles worldwide.

Technical infrastructure expands programmatic access

Spotify Ad Exchange now operates through industry-leading demand-side platforms including The Trade Desk and Google Display & Video 360, with additional DSPs scheduled for integration. The company completed its partnership with Magnite, enabling expanded advertiser access to Spotify Ad Exchange and multi-format inventory through an increased number of DSPs.

Since Spotify announced the Ad Exchange in April 2025, the platform reported a 64% increase in programmatic adoption, demonstrating significant advertiser interest in automated podcast buying. The programmatic offering represents Spotify's response to industry demand for streamlined purchasing processes that match the efficiency of display and video advertising channels.

The expansion addresses technical challenges that have historically limited podcast advertising scale. Traditional podcast advertising required direct negotiations and manual insertion orders, creating barriers for smaller advertisers and limiting campaign optimization capabilities. The automated channels provide real-time bidding capabilities and standardized measurement protocols that align with broader digital advertising practices.

Advertiser adoption demonstrates efficiency gains

Major brands have reported measurable improvements through Spotify's automated buying channels. EssilorLuxottica achieved double-digit efficiency improvements in cost per store visit metrics, as measured by third-party verification. Caroline Proto, Director of Global Media at EssilorLuxottica, noted the combination of AI-powered script development and streamlined Ad Exchange execution enabled expanded brand reach.

The efficiency gains reflect broader industry trends toward programmatic audio buying. Traditional programmatic buying methods typically offer four purchasing types: open auctions, private marketplaces, preferred deals, and guaranteed deals. Spotify's Ad Exchange operates primarily through open auction mechanics, enabling real-time bidding competition among multiple advertisers.

Instacart represents another brand utilizing Spotify's automated channels, though specific performance metrics were not disclosed in the announcement. The participation of established digital advertisers suggests automated podcast buying is attracting brands that previously allocated budgets primarily to display and search advertising.

Platform positioning strengthens podcast monetization

Spotify's expansion builds upon previous podcast advertising developments. The platform launched podcast ads in February 2020 using Streaming Ad Insertion technology combined with planning, reporting, and measurement capabilities. The initial implementation provided data-driven recommendations and detailed audience insights including age, gender, device type, and listening behavior metrics.

Recent platform enhancements include call-to-action cards for podcast audio ads and the removal of price floor options for Megaphone publishers within the Spotify Audience Network. The price floor removal, implemented in May 2024, aimed to increase advertiser demand while providing publishers with access to premium demand sources.

Spotify's monetization strategy has expanded significantly with the January 2025 launch of the Partner Program, which combines audience-driven payouts from Premium video engagement with advertising revenue from Free users. The program demonstrated substantial creator adoption, with more than 65% of eligible shows enrolling since its November 2024 announcement.

Market implications for digital advertising ecosystem

The automated podcast buying expansion positions Spotify to compete more effectively with YouTube's podcast advertising capabilities. YouTube currently maintains the largest podcast listener base, while Spotify's 170 million monthly podcast listeners represents a significant but smaller audience segment. The automated buying capabilities may help Spotify attract advertising dollars that previously flowed to display, video, and search channels.

Chloe Wix, Spotify's Global Head of Ad Product and Commercial Growth, emphasized automation as fundamental infrastructure for competitive advertising platforms. The statement reflects industry recognition that manual buying processes cannot scale to match the efficiency and targeting capabilities that digital advertisers expect from modern media channels.

Video podcast consumption has increased substantially, with February 2025 data showing 20% growth in video podcast consumption and 300% increase in creator payouts compared to the previous year. The growth suggests podcast content is evolving beyond traditional audio formats, potentially expanding advertiser interest in podcast inventory.

The expansion may accelerate podcast advertising's integration into standard digital media planning processes. Frequency's Premium Publisher Network launched in March 2025 to address similar challenges, combining host-read advertisement authenticity with programmatic efficiency through direct publisher system integrations.

Technical specifications and measurement capabilities

Spotify's automated channels provide standardized measurement protocols that align with digital advertising industry practices. The Ad Exchange operates through real-time bidding mechanisms that enable advertisers to optimize campaigns based on performance data rather than relying on estimated audience metrics.

DoubleVerify expanded its measurement capabilities to Spotify Ads Manager in October 2024, providing fraud detection and viewability verification for video campaigns. The integration addressed advertiser concerns about campaign effectiveness and invalid traffic, particularly important as video content consumption increased 44% year-over-year on Spotify.

The platform's logged-in user base provides advantages for targeting and measurement compared to cookie-based systems used in traditional programmatic advertising. Spotify's user authentication enables deterministic audience identification rather than probabilistic matching, potentially improving campaign attribution and frequency management.

Spotify maintains more than 678 million users globally, including 268 million subscribers across more than 180 markets. The scale provides sufficient inventory to support automated buying while maintaining competitive auction dynamics that benefit both advertisers and content creators.

Geographic rollout reflects strategic market prioritization

The 12-market rollout for Ad Exchange access and eight-market availability for Ads Manager demonstrates Spotify's strategic approach to automated podcast buying expansion. The markets selected represent Spotify's largest advertising revenue sources and highest podcast consumption regions.

European market inclusion spans Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, reflecting Spotify's Stockholm origins and strong European user base. The Brazil and Mexico additions provide Latin American market access, while India represents significant growth potential in the Asia-Pacific region.

The geographic expansion timeline suggests additional markets may receive automated podcast buying access as infrastructure scales and demand increases. The current rollout provides sufficient market coverage to test automated buying effectiveness across diverse economic and cultural contexts.

Market-specific advertising regulations and measurement standards may influence future expansion decisions. The selected markets generally maintain similar digital advertising frameworks that support programmatic buying and standardized measurement protocols.

Timeline

• February 2020: Spotify launches podcast ads using Streaming Ad Insertion technology
• April 2022: Spotify introduces call-to-action cards for podcast audio ads
• April 2025: Spotify announces Ad Exchange with programmatic buying capabilities
• May 2024: Spotify removes price floor options for Megaphone publishers
• October 2024: DoubleVerify expands measurement to Spotify Ads Manager
• January 2025: Spotify launches Partner Program with dual revenue model
• February 2025: Video podcast revenue increases 300% after Partner Program launch
• July 11, 2025: Spotify expands automated podcast buying across 12 markets