The traditional year-end increase in ad spending is giving a lift to podcasters. Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast reports the average CPM rate charged for ads sold on its platform rose 2.5% between October and November. It reports advertisers paid an average of $22.94 for a 60-second ad spot, up 57 cents month-to-month. But reflecting more softness in the ad market compared to a year ago, the average November CPM was down seven percent compared to a year ago.
The data, which is derived from actual sales data across AdvertiseCast’s network of thousands of shows, reveals the three genres with the highest CPMs during November were Kids & Family ($27), Arts ($26), and Education ($25). The Technology genre, which typically is included in the top three, slipped last month reflecting this year’s weakness in ad spending among tech companies. AdvertiseCast also points out there remain several genres with more accessible rates to entice marketers to spending with podcasters, with History, TV & Film, and True Crime all having average CPMs in the low $20 range during November.
Whether advertisers paid more last month depended in part on the size of the podcast on which they bought ad time. AdvertiseCast says shows with between 1,000 and 10,000 downloads had the highest average CPM during November at $25.03, up eight percent from October. Podcasts with between10,000 and 100,000 downloads had a $23.20 average CPM, flat with the prior month. And AdvertiseCast says shows with more than 100,000 downloads continue to have the lowest CPMs at $20.69 during November, down one percent from October.
While there are month-to-month fluctuations, AdvertiseCast says the typical one-minute ad has a $25 CPM while a 30-second ad typically has an average $18 CPM. That is the same as a year ago.
CPM is cost “per mille” or cost per 1,000 listeners. AdvertiseCast bases its averages on actual sales data across its network of roughly 1,600 shows.