Podcasting’s Identity Crisis: Report Warns Lack of Clear Definitions Are Stalling Growth.

As podcasting stretches beyond audio into video, closed platforms, and algorithm-driven discovery, Oxford Road is sounding the alarm: without a unified definition and consistent measurement standards, podcasting risks stalling its growth. In a new white paper, the audio-focused ad agency outlines how podcasting has entered a new era — one defined not just by audio, but increasingly by visual formats and platform-native content.

The report was developed from a combination of Edison Research survey data from more than 4,000 Americans, and insights from conversations with more than 30 industry executives, creators and thought leaders. The report shows that podcasting’s core identity is evolving in real time, creating uncertainty for creators, platforms and advertisers alike. And it lays out an actionable definition of podcasting that it says balances inclusivity and precision.

What Is a Podcast, Really?

Dan Granger, CEO of Oxford Road and Veritone One, says the white paper is a market-driven attempt to create a shared language and start a productive conversation and develop a definition that’s inclusive of form, but clear in function.

“Podcasting has arrived. The term is etched in public consciousness,” he writes. “The only question now is whether we preserve the integrity of what made it powerful — or allow it to be diluted beyond recognition and inadvertently kill the golden goose.”

Survey data shows that most Americans still associate podcasts with spoken-word audio — but video is gaining ground. Nearly 75% of respondents said a discussion-based video show available both on YouTube and in audio form qualifies as a podcast. Even YouTube-only video content was seen as podcasting by more than half of respondents, signaling shifting perceptions.

In response to these changing perceptions, Oxford Road proposes the creation of a new unified working definition of the medium:

• Podcast: An audio-driven, on-demand program rooted in spoken word — often episodic, sometimes accompanied by video, and accessible across open and closed platforms.

It also introduces a complementary term:

• Video Podcast: A spoken-word show where visuals meaningfully enhance the experience and are essential to its structure and tone.

Oxford says the definitions aim to maintain the core identity of podcasting while allowing room for innovation and evolution across platforms and formats.

Measurement Gap Is Costing the Industry

Podcasting’s fragmented measurement landscape is slowing advertiser investment. While U.S. podcast ad revenue hit $1.9 billion in 2023, growth dropped to just 8% — down from 26% the year before. Oxford Road says this stall can be traced to advertisers’ uncertainty about what a podcast is, how it’s delivered, and how to compare performance across formats.

To unlock stalled ad budgets, they’re calling for the development of an Open Measurement Protocol for Podcasting — a shared attribution system that spans both RSS-based and platform-native content. They envision a future where show IDs, campaign-level tracking tokens, and hashed listener data enable better cross-platform comparability.

A Call to Action

Oxford Road is urging platforms, publishers and trade groups like the IAB to come together now to establish a universal measurement and taxonomy framework. Without alignment, they warn, podcasting may remain fragmented — holding back innovation, revenue and creator opportunity.

“Alignment doesn’t constrain innovation — it enables it,” the report concludes. “If podcasting is to thrive, it must define itself clearly and measure itself credibly — before someone else does.”

Oxford Road has also launched an online petition seeking support for its effort to convince Spotify, YouTube and other leading platforms to join the industry at the table — “not to be regulated, but to collaborate” — in the effort to help develop the podcast definitions.

“Their participation would be the single most consequential step we could take toward building a medium rooted in clarity, inclusivity, and long-term growth — for creators, advertisers and audiences alike,” it says. Oxford is also looking for help from the broader podcast ecosystem including creators, advertisers and publishers as it seeks to unite the industry to develop a clear, inclusive and cross-platform definition of “podcast.”