Ira Glass: “It’s ‘Boom Time’ for Podcast Advertising”

Ira Glass, the radio host who became a podcast pioneer who became a movie producer, says the past few years have been a boon for podcast advertising. In fact, he said, the podcast for his hit show, This American Life, now makes more money through advertising than the actual radio show does.

Speaking on the final day of South by Southwest Interactive in Austin, Texas, Glass said CPMs sometimes reach $50 to $60 for ads during the podcast of the popular radio show he started two decades ago.

“It’s crazy; it’s amazing,” Glass said. “It’s unbelievable. It’s boom time. It’s a bubble!”

According to estimates from ZenithOptimedia, ad spending on podcasts in the U.S. could hit $35.1 million in 2016. That’s only 0.06 percent of all digital ad spending, but some say that estimate is low and that it could go as high as $50 million this year.

Via AdWeek