Google to test new Tracking Protection from January; 62% of marketers project podcast ad spend increase; Top OTT platforms see 8% YOY ad spend decrease

by Aimee Newell Tarín on 18th Dec 2023 in News

On today’s ExchangeWire digest: Google to test new Tracking Protection from January; 62% of marketers project podcast ad spend increase; Top OTT platforms see 8% YOY ad spend decrease…

Google’s cookie deprecation plan for the second half of 2024 still currently stands, and in less than a month (from 4th January) Google will start testing its new Tracking Protection feature which will eventually restrict access to third party cookies. It will first be introduced to only a small subset amounting to 1% of global users – those randomly selected will be notified. As the Tracking Protection is rolled out, regulators will be keeping an eye out to ensure it doesn’t give the tech giant an unfair advantage in selling its own ads.

While Google’s third party cookie phaseout is certain to cause disruption for digital this coming year, audio looks set to boom. More than half (62%) of global marketers project an increased ad spend in podcasts in the coming years, according to new research from Acast which studied marketers across the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and Singapore. Marketers in all five regions consistently ranked podcasts as the top performer for accurate targeting and unduplicated reach, as well as for connecting with mentally engaged and affluent audiences. Only 16% of marketers expressed concerns about excessive advertising on the format, versus 31% for social media and 35% for TV, which signals to the untapped potential of podcast advertising.

In the TV landscape, the latest figures have been showing a considerable ad spend decrease. New research finds that the top six OTT platforms – Discovery+, Hulu, Max, Paramount+, Peacock, and Pluto TV – collected over $1bn (£798m) from US ad spend between January and October, representing an 8% year-over-year decrease in ad investment from last year, according to MediaRadar. Nearly half (47%) of total ad spend was represented by five categories: restaurants, medical/pharmaceutical, finance, retail, and tech.