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Content and Ad Performance Analytics

Learn how your fans engage with your content and ads on Spotify

Becca DiCenso avatar
Written by Becca DiCenso
Updated over 4 months ago

By tapping into the power of streaming, you will be able to gain access to new metrics that illustrate how both your content and your ads on Spotify are performing. Megaphone publishers who have streaming-powered tools enabled can learn more about how their fans engage with their content and ads on Spotify.

Content Performance Analytics

Gain access to metrics that best showcase how both your audio and video content is performing with your audience. For this new set of streaming-based analytics, you will be able to find reporting on both the podcast-level and the episode-level.

Podcast-Level Content Performance Analytics

To find podcast-level content performance analytics, head to your show’s podcast page on Megaphone and click the “podcast analytics” tab. In this tab you will find both aggregate performance values as well as graphs that show you how your metrics are trending within a certain period. In this report, you can see both streaming-based metrics and download-based metrics.

Episode-Level Content Performance Analytics

To find episode-level content performance analytics, head to your show’s podcast page on Megaphone, select the episode, and click the “episode analytics” tab. In this tab you will find both aggregate performance values, graphs that show you how your metrics are trending, as well as your audience retention within a certain period. In this report, you can see both streaming-based metrics and download-based metrics.

What new content performance analytics are available?

You will find the following metrics in both episode and podcast-level content performance reporting. Please note that these metrics only measure performance on Spotify.

Total Streams (#)

Total # of times an episode of your podcast was played for at least 60 seconds on Spotify

Confirmed Reach (#)

Total # of people who listened to or watched an episode of your podcast for at least 60 seconds on Spotify

Download Reach (#)

Total # of households, or IP addresses, that downloaded an episode of your podcast

Total Consumption Time (#)

Total # of hours spent listening to or watching your content on Spotify

Average Consumption Time (#)

Average # of minutes spent listening to or watching your content on Spotify

Total Watch Time (#)

Total # of hours your video was visible on a viewer’s screen

Average Watch Time (#)

Average # of minutes your video was visible on a viewer’s screen

Total Listen Time (#)

Total # of hours spent listening to:

  • An audio-only episode

  • Or a video episode that isn’t visible on the viewer’s screen

Average Listen Time (#)

Average # of minutes spent listening to:

  • An audio-only episode

  • Or a video episode that isn’t visible on the viewer’s screen

Watch Time Percentage (%)

Total % consumption time that your video was visible on a viewer’s screen

Listen Time Percentage (%)

% of your total consumption time spent listening to an audio or video episode

Completion Rate (by quartile) (%)

Average % of your audience that completed an episode of your podcast on Spotify across a date range

Audience Retention (by episode)

Audience retention for a specific episode across a period of time

Ad Performance Analytics, powered by Streaming Ad Insertion

Streaming Ad Insertion grants you access to new and unique campaign metrics that help you learn who your customers are and how they engage with your ads. With Streaming Ad Insertion, ad impressions are measured as a listener streams a podcast on Spotify. This real-time delivery of ad impressions will unlock new reporting and insights that you can now offer to your advertiser clients to help prove the value of your podcast advertising.

Where can I find my ad performance analytics?

To find your campaign-level ad performance reporting, head to the campaign library and select which campaign you’d like to see analytics for. Once in the campaign, select the “campaign analytics” tab. In this tab you will find both aggregate performance values as well as graphs that show you how your metrics are trending within a certain period. In this report, you can see both streaming-based metrics and download-based metrics.

You will be able to find the following streaming-based metrics in this campaign-level reporting. Please note that these metrics only measure performance on Spotify.

Streaming Ad Impressions (#)

Total # of confirmed impressions served across a campaign for media streamed on Spotify

Confirmed Reach (#)

Total # of unique individuals who were exposed to the campaign by ads streamed on Spotify

Average Frequency (#)

Total # of times your ad was heard on Spotify by an individual

Ad Completion Rate (%)

% of ads that are listened through to completion on Spotify without any skips

*ads that are started and had no skips or seek events occur

Audience Insights

The # of unique individuals who were exposed to the campaign by gender, age, device, and subscription type.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the difference between reporting that is based on streams vs. downloads?

When a podcast has streaming-powered tools activated, delivery on Spotify is now reported in terms of streams instead of downloads. Spotify is able to assess how a user engages with the content in real-time, which means that we can determine when a user actually streams, pauses, and/or skips the content. In contrast, downloads only reflect when a device has downloaded the content and does not reflect if the content has actually been engaged with in any capacity; download values can be especially affected by listening platforms that offer auto-downloading as standard behavior.

Q. How should I compare my streaming vs. download metrics? Can I add the metrics together?

With streaming-based data, you have greater visibility into how users actually engage with content because streaming delivers content in real-time. In contrast, downloads deliver content all at once and ultimately relies on device-based estimates on user engagement. Because of this difference in how the metrics are measured (confirmed users vs. device-based estimates), we do not recommend that stream-based values and download-based values be compared or added together. However, if you would like a ballpark estimate of how your show or episode is performing holistically, you are welcome to add the separate values together.

Q. Will this transition to “stream-based data” be applied retroactively to my data?

No, you will only start seeing streaming-based data starting from the date you enable streaming-powered tools for your podcast.

Q. How are the new streaming-based ad campaign metrics measured?

These new Spotify ad campaign metrics are powered by Streaming Ad Insertion (SAI). When a podcast activates streaming-powered tools and Streaming Ad Insertion is enabled, ad inventory on Spotify is now filled with ads in real-time and impressions are only counted when the ad begins to play. This real-time insertion of ads gives Spotify the ability to track how users engage with ads with a greater level of precision.

Q. Can I export the new content and ad campaign metrics?

Yes. You can export all content and ad campaign metrics/reporting by CSV.

Want to get started?

Only publishers who have streaming-powered tools enabled will be able to access both content performance and ad performance analytics. We are currently testing these tools, including our content/ad performance analytics, with a select group of publishers. We’ll be continuing to iterate on and improve our streaming-powered tools based on feedback from publishers who are currently testing with us.

If you have already been approved to test these tools, you should have received a notification from Megaphone or a Megaphone account representative. If you are approved to join our test program and would like to learn more about how to activate these tools for your account, please review the “Activate Streaming-Powered Tools” help center article.

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