Spotify now removes dynamic ads for Premium subscribers who watch participating video podcasts. Your programmatic audio spot may never reach them. Spotify’s video podcast push changes where brand money works hardest, and creator-embedded sponsorships are the clear winner. Here is how to buy them.
What actually changed on Spotify
The Spotify Partner Program pays eligible video creators from Premium video consumption and lets them monetize via ads in the free tier and on other podcast platforms. Spotify’s own announcement says the program is expanding to more than 35 new markets, including Italy, Spain, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.
The detail that matters for brands sits in the fan-experience section. For Premium subscribers in these markets, dynamic ads are removed from participating video podcasts, while creators’ own sponsorships stay in the show.
Read that twice. Spotify is not killing ads. It is killing the insertion layer and protecting the baked-in read.
On Spotify video, the ad you buy through the creator survives. The ad you buy through a dynamic insertion marketplace may not.
Why the creator-embedded placement wins
Dynamic ad insertion sells impressions at scale, and it has been the backbone of podcast advertising for years. In the Spotify video environment, Premium viewers on participating shows never see those inserted ads. Embedded sponsorships are different because the host delivers them as part of the content.
Per Spotify’s expansion announcement, creators in the program keep 100% of the revenue from those embedded sponsorships. That matters for negotiation. A creator who sells you a deal is not splitting it with a network or an ad marketplace on Spotify’s side, which can make flat-fee deals easier to structure.
There is a tooling angle too. Ask your creator partners whether they use Spotify’s Creator Sponsorships. If they do, you may get cleaner reporting and an easier path to swapping a stale read.
The network problem: who is and is not in the program
Do not assume your favorite show is available in video on Spotify. Digiday reported that creators and podcast networks are split on the program, mostly because networks fear losing dynamic ad revenue.
The same report found that of the top 10 podcasts on YouTube, five had joined at the time, including The Joe Rogan Experience and This Past Weekend with Theo Von. One executive quoted by Digiday said giving up Spotify consumption could remove between five and 50 percent of the advertising opportunity, depending on the show’s characteristics. Note that this is a 2025 snapshot, so confirm current status before you plan around it.
What does this mean for your plan?
- Independent creators are more likely to be in the program and more likely to sell host-read integrations directly.
- Network shows may keep audio-only on Spotify to protect dynamic inventory, so your video buy might not reach Spotify viewers at all.
- Hybrid shows may split their inventory, with different ad setups on YouTube, Spotify video and audio feeds.
Audio vs. video: where to put the placement
Stop thinking in formats. Think in moments.
An audio-only listener is often multitasking. A host-read mention works because the voice is trusted and the listener cannot skip visually. A video viewer is watching, so you get a product demo, a screen, a label, a code on screen. Different jobs, different creative.
Here is a simple split I use when briefing:
- Awareness and trust: a 45-60 second host-read, same script across audio and video, with the host’s own story about the product.
- Consideration: a video-native segment where the host shows the product in use. This is the format audio cannot match.
- Conversion: a vanity URL or promo code in the read, repeated in show notes and on screen in the video version.
Pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll still behave differently. Mid-roll host reads generally hold attention best because they sit inside the content, but you should test position instead of assuming. Ask creators for retention data by timestamp if they have it.
Is the money moving creators your way?
Partly, yes. The economics are changing creator behavior, and that changes your negotiating leverage.
In the Digiday report, the podcaster Ryth said Spotify’s revenue share brought in over $55,000 a month, versus roughly $25,000 a month from YouTube. That is one creator’s account, not a market rate. But it signals why more independents are investing in Spotify video, which means more inventory for you to buy.
Spotify’s announcement says total monthly payouts to enrolled shows have increased by more than a third and that participating video shows saw more than 45% average growth in consumption hours since launch. Treat these as platform-reported numbers. Ask for show-level data before you pay for reach.
There is a second-order effect to watch. When a creator earns more from platform payouts, they may be less dependent on your sponsorship, which can mean fewer discounts and fewer concessions on usage rights. Conversely, creators who rely on ads may push harder for flat-fee deals. If you are reworking payout terms elsewhere, our guide to revenue share contracts covers clauses that carry over.
Measurement: stop trusting the download number
Audio metrics and video metrics do not line up. Downloads, streams, views and consumption hours are different units, and a blended CPM across them is mostly fiction.
Build your measurement around outcomes you control:
- Unique promo codes per creator and per format (one for audio, one for video).
- Dedicated landing pages with UTM parameters, so you can separate Spotify video from YouTube traffic.
- Post-purchase surveys asking where the customer heard about you.
- A holdout approach: run a creator in one region first, then compare lift against a control region.
For teams that already track view-to-install paths on short video, the logic in our attribution framework transfers well to long-form podcast video.
Contract and compliance checklist
Video makes disclosure easier to see and easier to get wrong. A spoken “this episode is sponsored by” at minute 20 is not the same as a clear label in a video frame. Spell out disclosure placement in the contract, for both audio and video cuts of the same episode.
Put these items in every agreement:
- Format scope: audio, Spotify video, YouTube and clips, each named.
- Replacement rights: who can swap or retire the sponsorship, and on what notice.
- Evergreen window: how long the read stays live in the back catalog.
- Disclosure standards: wording, on-screen label, and position.
- Brand safety: topic exclusions and adjacency, especially for edgier shows.
On that last point, Digiday noted the program has been most attractive to creators who do not lean on ad revenue, partly because of the edgier or less brand-safe nature of some content. Vet the show, not just the host. Our paid partnership tagging audit is a useful template for building the disclosure review step, and the payout and compliance guide shows how to document creator obligations.
FAQs
Does Spotify’s video podcast push eliminate podcast advertising for brands?
No. Spotify removes dynamic ads for Premium subscribers on participating video podcasts, but creators’ own sponsorships remain in the show. Brands should shift budget toward host-read and embedded placements for these audiences.
Who keeps the revenue from embedded sponsorships on Spotify?
Spotify’s announcement says creators in the Partner Program keep 100% of the revenue from embedded sponsorships. Your fee goes to the creator or publisher you contract with, and Spotify’s tools help them manage scheduling and reporting.
Should I buy audio or video placements?
Use both, with different creative jobs. Audio suits trust-building host reads. Video suits demonstrations, on-screen offers and clips that can be reused. Test them with separate promo codes.
Why are some big podcasts missing from Spotify video?
Many networks rely on dynamic ad revenue and worry that participating would cut into it. Digiday reported that executives from several large podcasters deliberately chose not to opt in for that reason. Confirm each show’s status before you buy.
How do I measure results across audio and video?
Skip blended CPMs. Use unique codes, dedicated landing pages, post-purchase surveys and regional holdout tests, separated by format and creator.
Can I swap a sponsorship after the episode is published?
Spotify says its Creator Sponsorships tools let creators schedule, replace and analyze brand sponsorships for video content. Write replacement rights and notice periods into your contract so both sides know the rules.
Next step: pick two independent shows already in the Spotify Partner Program, buy one host-read each with separate audio and video promo codes, and review the split after 30 days before you scale.
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