Spotify acquires podcast analytics firms Chartable and Podsights

Spotify announced it was acquiring Chartable and Podsights, two of the most prominent ad attribution and podcast marketing companies. The acquisition cost hasn’t been disclosed, but this marks the first significant purchase the company has made this year in a long line of audio assets.

Podsights is a podcast advertising measurement service, and Chartable is a podcast analytics platform for publishers. The addition of Chartable and Podsights will help make the audio-streaming giant a more attractive partner for producers and advertisers to do business with, according to Dawn Ostroff, Spotify’s chief content and advertising business officer.

Both Chartable and Podsights allow networks and podcasts to include tags in their shows that are used to track who listened to an ad and whether they took action upon hearing it. Spotify said that it plans to use Podsights’ technology outside podcasting and bring it to the full scope of the Spotify premium version, including audio ads within display ads, video ads, and music. Chartable’s acquisition appears to be more directed toward podcasters than advertisers, mainly because of its technology like SmartLinks.

The acquisition of Chartable and Podsights comes just two months after Spotify bought Whooshkaa, an Australian podcast technology platform that lets radio broadcasters convert audio content into on-demand podcasts.

In 2021, the Swedish music streaming service’s advertising business surpassed 1 billion euros (about $1.1 billion) in revenue and recorded 15% of total revenue in Q4 of 2021.