AMP Task Force To Confront Podcasting’s Measurement Dilemma

BusinessMediaAMP Task Force To Confront Podcasting’s Measurement DilemmaByFrank Racioppi,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Frank Racioppi is the owner of Ear Worthy, focusing on podcasts.Follow AuthorJun 04, 2026, 06:16am EDTAMP Task Force Emerges to Confront Podcasting’s Measurement Dilemma A group of podcasting’s top leaders unite to a develop the industry’s first cross-platform measurement guidelines to address gaps created by the rise of video podcasting.AMPIt’s not a question of IF but WHEN, because almost all industries reassess their measurement tools. Take for example, major league baseball. For over a century, the primary indices of hitting included batting average, runs batted in, and runs scored. Data nerds upended those indices and implemented such measurement devices as OPS, used to measure a hitter’s overall offensive production by adding their On-Base Percentage (OBP) and Slugging Percentage (SLG) together. In fielding, Outs Above Average (OAA), which replaces errors as the key stat, uses Statcast radar technology to track exactly where the ball is hit, how fast it’s traveling, and how much time the fielder has to make the play. It assigns a catch probability to every play and gives players positive credit for making difficult grabs and negative credit for missing routine ones.Podcasting is about 130 years younger than major league baseball, but it is sorely in need of a measurement overhaul.According to Podsy, the most-cited metric in podcasting tells you almost nothing about a podcast. Downloads measure the moment a file was requested. They do not measure whether anyone listened, whether anyone stayed, whether anyone acted, or whether anyone became something to the podcaster other than an anonymous number in a dashboard. For media-scale shows, downloads have a use. They can be sold to advertisers. They prove a thing existed and was distributed. They are a currency in a system built around ad rates.Acco...