iHeartMedia-owned Triton Digital announced the acquisition of Sounder, an AI-driven startup specializing in brand safety and suitability. However, the financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Approximately six months prior to the acquisition, Triton had already begun collaborating with Sounder, integrating its AI technology to analyze and improve podcast content safety.
This partnership was preceded by iHeartMedia’s lead role in Sounder’s Series A funding round in 2022, following its acquisition of Triton for $230 million in the previous year. Furthermore, in February of last year, the two companies co-developed a pioneering podcast brand safety scoring tool, underscoring their commitment to creating a safer podcasting environment.
Sounder: Innovating for a Safer Space
Sounder’s innovative use of machine learning and natural language processing technologies enables the automatic transcription and indexing of podcast episodes. This process allows for contextual analysis of content, identifying potential brand safety concerns in alignment with the standards set by the Global Alliance for Responsible Media and the IAB’s content taxonomy categories.
John Rosso, president and CEO of Triton Digital, emphasized that Triton has historically not operated in the brand safety and contextual targeting domain. However, he acknowledged the importance of such capabilities in attracting more advertising dollars to podcasts, ensuring that ads are placed in environments deemed safe by advertisers.
How Will Triton Digital Utilize Sounder?
In order for podcasts to draw increased advertising revenue, advertisers must be assured that their ads are being placed in secure environments.
Triton’s integration plan for Sounder involves incorporating its technology into Triton’s existing content management platform, which spans its streaming network, programmatic audio marketplace, and measurement products for podcasts and streaming.
Podcast publishers utilizing Triton’s platform will soon have the ability to pre-analyze their content with Sounder’s tools before publication. Similarly, advertisers will be able to leverage Sounder to prevent their ads from appearing next to unsuitable content and to more effectively target their desired audiences.
The podcast industry, described by Rosso as “massively fragmented,” presents challenges in managing campaigns that may span hundreds or even thousands of podcasts. Sounder’s technology aims to simplify this process by enabling the identification and targeting of relevant content in real time, thereby facilitating the scaling of Triton’s programmatic marketplace for podcasting.
Boosting Programmatic Potential
Despite currently selling less than half of its inventory programmatically, Triton sees this acquisition as an opportunity to increase programmatic buying by offering enhanced brand safety tools. This initiative complements Triton’s broader efforts to advance programmatic advertising, including the development of real-time ad insertion capabilities in collaboration with Jelli, a programmatic radio platform acquired by iHeartMedia in 2018 and subsequently integrated into Triton.
Rosso clarified that Triton’s goal is not to fully transition to programmatic inventory but to support a flexible mix of sales approaches that best serve publishers, ranging from direct sales and sales house relationships to programmatic marketplaces and guaranteed deals.
As part of the acquisition, Sounder’s product and engineering teams, comprising 17 employees based in the US and Serbia, will join Triton, increasing its total workforce to approximately 300. Kal Amin, Sounder’s CEO and co-founder, will assist with the transition before exploring new investment opportunities in the audio space.
While Triton is currently focused on integrating Sounder’s capabilities, it remains open to further acquisitions to enhance its suite of podcasting and audio advertising tools. “We keep adding new and interesting bits into the studio here at Triton,” Rosso said.
Related News:
Featured Image courtesy of freepik