Audio Ads Overview
Audio in itself is just a type of creative and consumption of the creative, but there are multiple channels through which audio ads can be served programmatically. This page covers the main audio channels, creative requirements, limitations and supply partners.
Audio Channels
Music Streaming
When thinking about audio ads, probably the first channel that comes to mind is Spotify. Spotify, as well as other music streaming platforms such as Audiomack, Amazon Music or Apple Music, are one of the main sources of consumer audio content in the world. Whether it’s on the phone using headphones, through speakers or through home assistants, the reach that music streaming channels provide is usually quite high.
This can be considered instream audio: the ads will be served alongside other audio content (music, in this case) either at the beginning, in an ad break, or at the end of the content.
Podcasts
Podcasts are increasingly popular for consuming information on the go or while doing other things. They can be comparable to radio in their content. Usually, consumers can get access to podcasts through the same platforms as streaming music, but there are many other players involved (podcast publishers, distributors…) that open up more room for server-side ad insertion (i.e. the content reaches the listening platform already with the ad in it).
Digital Radios
As more media becomes digital, radios don’t want to be left behind. Many radio stations are available digitally and that number only keeps growing. That opens up a new possibility for ad monetization driven by the benefits of programmatic advertising. Moreover, smaller publishers that couldn’t afford traditional radio stations are leveraging the low entry barrier of the digital market to stand up their own digital radio channels. Depending on the market, the programmatic access to digital radios might be limited.
In-Game Audio
Another innovative format opening up new opportunities is programmatic audio in games. This format allows game developers to monetize the attention of their users in a less disruptive way than traditional rewarded video creatives. The estimated reach of mobile gamers worldwide is about 3b.
Others
In many cases, publishers might leverage programmatic audio to fill unfilled video ad slots. In those cases, the audio file will be played in a video player either displaying the companion banner or some other generic image from the publisher. There are a few other up-and-coming channels such as website article readers, but those are not widely used at the moment.
Audio Creative Requirements
When dealing with audio creatives, you can either host and upload all files directly to the Eskimi DSP or provide a third-party audio VAST tag. The audio file itself usually has the following requirements:
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | .ogg, .mp3 |
| Bitrate | At least 128 kbps |
| Size | Max 50 MB |
| Duration | 15 to 30 seconds mostly, with very limited inventory supporting 60 s creatives |
Example
An audio ad served in a video placement:
Limitations
- Max "Skip" allowed by protocols is 30 s. Default is 5 s.
- Skip-after functionality is only available on Doubleclick, so the traffic will be limited and will have advertising limitations.
- VPAID/OMID is not supported, and only pure VAST (file upload or VAST URI) creatives can be used for this type of campaign.
Available Supply Partners
Most of the mainstream ad exchanges and SSPs support audio at least to some extent. Google, Magnite, Equativ, PubMatic… are only some examples of exchanges that have audio traffic, depending on the region. There are also a few audio-specific SSPs: Triton, AdsWizz and DAX are probably the most important.
Eskimi DSP is integrated with Triton Digital for audio inventory.
Spotify: Eskimi currently has no access to Spotify audio inventory in any market. Your Eskimi account manager can confirm the latest status.
Summary
Audio ads reach people through music streaming, podcasts, digital radio, games and video players. Upload an audio file to Eskimi DSP or use a third-party audio VAST tag, keeping to the format, size and duration requirements above.
Supply is mainly through Triton Digital, with audio traffic also available on several mainstream exchanges depending on the region. Spotify inventory is not available at the moment.