Podcast Listening<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWe all listen to our podcasts using different podcast players; the big hitters are Apple Podcasts and Spotify, but there are many more out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of those alternatives is a content aggregator from Samsung called\u00a0\u201cSamsung Free<\/a>\u201d.\u00a0It groups together interesting videos, tv, news and podcasts on the Android home screen of newer Samsung phones. It uses a standard piece of Android software called Dalvik to download audio like podcasts. Other Android phones and software (such as Google Pixel) also use Dalvik.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen we look at podcaster stats and see where the listener traffic to podcasts have come from, there has always been traffic from Dalvik based players, but it\u2019s never accounted for much of the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What changed with Dalvik in November?<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nHere are the Dalvik downloads for the\u00a0Sport Social podcast network<\/a>\u00a0in November:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/content.voiceworks.ai\/hubfs\/image-png-Dec-13-2022-02-19-05-2880-PM.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom November 1st to November 18th, Dalvik downloads on the Sport Social Podcast Network accounted for 2% of the network downloads. From the 25th<\/sup>\u00a0to the 29th<\/sup>, that rose to 44%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/content.voiceworks.ai\/hubfs\/image-png-Dec-13-2022-02-19-29-8813-PM.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOn the around 19th of November, the Samsung Free app was updated by Samsung. In the new update, the Listen tab opened a player automatically. If not stopped within three seconds, the player would auto-play segments of featured podcast episodes and it also pre-downloaded other episodes for instant play. This resulted in a lot of downloads that weren\u2019t initialised by listeners or where the pre-downloads never played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is part of a chart that shows all the devices that have used Dalvik on the Sport Social Podcast Network. All the \u201cSM\u201d device codes are different Samsung phone models, which accounts for the bulk of the Dalvik downloads, but you can see a small number attributed to other players, like a Google Pixel phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/content.voiceworks.ai\/hubfs\/image-png-Dec-13-2022-02-20-33-5756-PM.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow does the Auto play feature in Samsung Free affect download numbers?<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAll good podcast hosts, including Megaphone which we use for the Sport Social Podcast Network, are\u00a0IAB certified<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 an external 3rd<\/sup>\u00a0party who set standards on what is counted as a download and an impression of an advert.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNormally, this auto-play feature In Samsung Free wouldn\u2019t be a problem; other podcasting apps have similar features, downloading a smaller amount of the podcast e.g. 15 or 30 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IABv2 standards<\/a>\u00a0say that a download is counted if 60 seconds of audio is consumed by a unique listener within 24 hours. If a listener was just flicking through podcasts that auto-played, hearing just a few seconds of each, then these downloads would be automatically filtered out of any IABv2 podcasting hosts data.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAs the Samsung Free app was downloading for more than 90 seconds, this \u201cpassed\u2019 the IABv2 criteria and shows as a certified download on many posting hosts. This also means that there are advertiser impressions that are also passing the IABv2 criteria as being delivered, but they haven\u2019t been heard by human ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How is the podcast industry reacting to the Dalvik issue?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Some\u00a0podcasting hosts<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0podcast tracking companies<\/a>\u00a0have taken the decision to discount all of the Dalvik downloads for the month \u2013 regardless of the type of device that is downloading the podcast \u2013 including the downloads from legitimate Dalvik sources, such as the Google Pixel phones we see on our data.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMegaphone are waiting for IAB guidance before making any decisions and the Dalvik downloads are currently (12th<\/sup>\u00a0Dec) still showing in the download figures for the podcasts that they host.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/content.voiceworks.ai\/hubfs\/image-png-Dec-13-2022-02-20-47-3017-PM.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat are Voiceworks doing about the Dalvik issue?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWe at Sport Social have decided to identify the Dalvik downloads and impressions delivered on the 19th<\/sup> of November when the app was launched and then between the 25th<\/sup> and the 30th<\/sup> of December when we can see the bulk of the downloads. From these, the downloads and impressions that were delivered on only Samsung devices will be discounted.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis is the fairest way available to us to adjust for what we know hasn\u2019t been listened to, but keep in as many downloads and impressions from other devices and on other dates where the Samsung auto-play feature wasn\u2019t having an impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of our podcasters on the Sport Social Podcast network might see a different number of downloads on their statements for November 2022 compared to what they see on Megaphone – the Dalvik download issue hasn\u2019t affected all our titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our advertising clients may have seen that we have over delivered on impressions and\/or extended campaigns to make up for the impressions that were affected by the Dalvik downloads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we look at podcaster stats and see where the listener traffic to podcasts have come from, there has always been traffic from Dalvik based players, but it\u2019s never accounted for much of the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What changed with Dalvik in November?<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nHere are the Dalvik downloads for the\u00a0Sport Social podcast network<\/a>\u00a0in November:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom November 1st to November 18th, Dalvik downloads on the Sport Social Podcast Network accounted for 2% of the network downloads. From the 25th<\/sup>\u00a0to the 29th<\/sup>, that rose to 44%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOn the around 19th of November, the Samsung Free app was updated by Samsung. In the new update, the Listen tab opened a player automatically. If not stopped within three seconds, the player would auto-play segments of featured podcast episodes and it also pre-downloaded other episodes for instant play. This resulted in a lot of downloads that weren\u2019t initialised by listeners or where the pre-downloads never played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is part of a chart that shows all the devices that have used Dalvik on the Sport Social Podcast Network. All the \u201cSM\u201d device codes are different Samsung phone models, which accounts for the bulk of the Dalvik downloads, but you can see a small number attributed to other players, like a Google Pixel phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow does the Auto play feature in Samsung Free affect download numbers?<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAll good podcast hosts, including Megaphone which we use for the Sport Social Podcast Network, are\u00a0IAB certified<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 an external 3rd<\/sup>\u00a0party who set standards on what is counted as a download and an impression of an advert.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNormally, this auto-play feature In Samsung Free wouldn\u2019t be a problem; other podcasting apps have similar features, downloading a smaller amount of the podcast e.g. 15 or 30 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IABv2 standards<\/a>\u00a0say that a download is counted if 60 seconds of audio is consumed by a unique listener within 24 hours. If a listener was just flicking through podcasts that auto-played, hearing just a few seconds of each, then these downloads would be automatically filtered out of any IABv2 podcasting hosts data.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAs the Samsung Free app was downloading for more than 90 seconds, this \u201cpassed\u2019 the IABv2 criteria and shows as a certified download on many posting hosts. This also means that there are advertiser impressions that are also passing the IABv2 criteria as being delivered, but they haven\u2019t been heard by human ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How is the podcast industry reacting to the Dalvik issue?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Some\u00a0podcasting hosts<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0podcast tracking companies<\/a>\u00a0have taken the decision to discount all of the Dalvik downloads for the month \u2013 regardless of the type of device that is downloading the podcast \u2013 including the downloads from legitimate Dalvik sources, such as the Google Pixel phones we see on our data.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMegaphone are waiting for IAB guidance before making any decisions and the Dalvik downloads are currently (12th<\/sup>\u00a0Dec) still showing in the download figures for the podcasts that they host.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat are Voiceworks doing about the Dalvik issue?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWe at Sport Social have decided to identify the Dalvik downloads and impressions delivered on the 19th<\/sup> of November when the app was launched and then between the 25th<\/sup> and the 30th<\/sup> of December when we can see the bulk of the downloads. From these, the downloads and impressions that were delivered on only Samsung devices will be discounted.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis is the fairest way available to us to adjust for what we know hasn\u2019t been listened to, but keep in as many downloads and impressions from other devices and on other dates where the Samsung auto-play feature wasn\u2019t having an impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of our podcasters on the Sport Social Podcast network might see a different number of downloads on their statements for November 2022 compared to what they see on Megaphone – the Dalvik download issue hasn\u2019t affected all our titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our advertising clients may have seen that we have over delivered on impressions and\/or extended campaigns to make up for the impressions that were affected by the Dalvik downloads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom November 1st to November 18th, Dalvik downloads on the Sport Social Podcast Network accounted for 2% of the network downloads. From the 25th<\/sup>\u00a0to the 29th<\/sup>, that rose to 44%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the around 19th of November, the Samsung Free app was updated by Samsung. In the new update, the Listen tab opened a player automatically. If not stopped within three seconds, the player would auto-play segments of featured podcast episodes and it also pre-downloaded other episodes for instant play. This resulted in a lot of downloads that weren\u2019t initialised by listeners or where the pre-downloads never played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is part of a chart that shows all the devices that have used Dalvik on the Sport Social Podcast Network. All the \u201cSM\u201d device codes are different Samsung phone models, which accounts for the bulk of the Dalvik downloads, but you can see a small number attributed to other players, like a Google Pixel phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All good podcast hosts, including Megaphone which we use for the Sport Social Podcast Network, are\u00a0IAB certified<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 an external 3rd<\/sup>\u00a0party who set standards on what is counted as a download and an impression of an advert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Normally, this auto-play feature In Samsung Free wouldn\u2019t be a problem; other podcasting apps have similar features, downloading a smaller amount of the podcast e.g. 15 or 30 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IABv2 standards<\/a>\u00a0say that a download is counted if 60 seconds of audio is consumed by a unique listener within 24 hours. If a listener was just flicking through podcasts that auto-played, hearing just a few seconds of each, then these downloads would be automatically filtered out of any IABv2 podcasting hosts data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the Samsung Free app was downloading for more than 90 seconds, this \u201cpassed\u2019 the IABv2 criteria and shows as a certified download on many posting hosts. This also means that there are advertiser impressions that are also passing the IABv2 criteria as being delivered, but they haven\u2019t been heard by human ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some\u00a0podcasting hosts<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0podcast tracking companies<\/a>\u00a0have taken the decision to discount all of the Dalvik downloads for the month \u2013 regardless of the type of device that is downloading the podcast \u2013 including the downloads from legitimate Dalvik sources, such as the Google Pixel phones we see on our data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Megaphone are waiting for IAB guidance before making any decisions and the Dalvik downloads are currently (12th<\/sup>\u00a0Dec) still showing in the download figures for the podcasts that they host.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We at Sport Social have decided to identify the Dalvik downloads and impressions delivered on the 19th<\/sup> of November when the app was launched and then between the 25th<\/sup> and the 30th<\/sup> of December when we can see the bulk of the downloads. From these, the downloads and impressions that were delivered on only Samsung devices will be discounted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the fairest way available to us to adjust for what we know hasn\u2019t been listened to, but keep in as many downloads and impressions from other devices and on other dates where the Samsung auto-play feature wasn\u2019t having an impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of our podcasters on the Sport Social Podcast network might see a different number of downloads on their statements for November 2022 compared to what they see on Megaphone – the Dalvik download issue hasn\u2019t affected all our titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our advertising clients may have seen that we have over delivered on impressions and\/or extended campaigns to make up for the impressions that were affected by the Dalvik downloads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow does the Auto play feature in Samsung Free affect download numbers?<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How is the podcast industry reacting to the Dalvik issue?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat are Voiceworks doing about the Dalvik issue?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n