Coalition Seeks Universal Podcast Definitions As Confusion Costs $1 Billion In Lost Ads.

Is a show that only releases audio and video episodes actually a podcast? And what should qualify as a podcast ad impression? Podcasting may be in its third decade, but some fundamental definitions remain a point of debate. Worried that uncertainty may be costing the industry advertising dollars, a group of executives have been quietly meeting for the past year on a project that will not only create a set of definitions and metrics but also address what they see as a business at a crossroads.

The result is the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting, or AMP, a task force that has brought together creators, publishers and advertisers. The initiative has been led by the podcast ad agency Oxford Road, which assembled the group beginning in July 2025. Since then, the task force has been working behind the scenes toward the ambitious goal of defining and implementing cross-platform measurement guidance to assist the continued growth of the podcasting market.

Fueling the effort is the rapid rise of video podcasting, which AMP members say has created industrywide confusion, driven by both a lack of standardized metrics and disagreement about where podcasts end and social videos begin. Research also suggests that, despite video podcasts’ popularity, their ads perform unevenly when compared to their audio-only counterparts, fueling even greater uncertainty. The result is Oxford Road estimates it is costing the podcast industry $1 billion in advertising spend. 

“The podcast marketplace trades on artificial CPMs because exposure metrics change between platforms,” says Dan Granger, CEO of Oxford Road. “Advertisers run multiple attribution systems because media players won’t align on how to measure ad response.”

The group’s initial focus has been on standardizing impression metrics, including defining units that all major platforms can agree on. They’re also working toward the development of cross-platform performance measurement by creating a consistent attribution method acceptable to both open RSS and closed platforms. There is also the persistent foundational quest of defining what a podcast is, with the hope of agreeing on a universal classification that informs industry sizing, buying/selling processes, and measurement.

“We can’t even agree on a shared definition of a podcast. A billion dollars of demand is sitting on the sidelines because of it, and every month we wait is a month the medium loses ground that it doesn’t have to lose,” says Granger. “AMP exists because 12 operators agreed to stop waiting.”

The AMP members have apparently reached some consensus — or will shortly. The group plans to introduce its initial framework program at Oxford Road’s upcoming CAO Summit in July.

The AMP participants include Granger and Oxford Road EVP of Strategy Giles Martin; Spotify Head of Podcast Agency & Show Specialist Sales Anna Hartman and Head of Content Partnerships Jordan Newman; BetterHelp Senior Director of Growth Marketing Brittany Clevenger; and DraftKings Senior Manager of Growth Marketing Mike Janigian.

The group also includes United Talent Agency Creators Agent Rebecca Steinberg and Partner & Co-Head of UTA Creators Oren Rosenbaum; FlightStory CRO and Co-Founder Christiana Brenton working alongside Director of Business Intelligence Austin Goh; Libsyn EVP of Sales Anthony Savelli; SiriusXM Media Director of Performance Partnerships Joe Macarak; and Podscribe CEO Pete Birsinger.

Find more details about Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting HERE.