Streaming-audio platform Spotify has
announced its acquisition of two podcasting companies, each of which sheds some light on Spotify's long-term plan to dominate the podcasting business.
The online audio giant is acquiring both Podsights and Chartable. The companies make two of the leading tools related to marketing, advertising, metrics, and analytics for audio content.
Podsights is an advertising measurement tool that allows advertisers to see how many people were exposed to their ads, as well as how effective the ads were at driving purchases. Chartable is somewhat similar, but it's aimed at podcast creators, not advertisers. It helps podcasters track audience growth and see what factors are driving that growth.
Spotify says the acquisitions aren't just about podcasting, though; Podsights' tech will also be used for other kinds of audio content on Spotify, like music.
These two companies follow several others that Spotify has gobbled up in recent months, including Whooshkaa and Megaphone. Altogether, these acquisitions paint a picture of the company's future strategy. Moving forward, Spotify hopes to not just monetize listeners but to expand the ways it draws fees and cuts from both advertisers and content creators.
arstechnica.com
