Advertisers will gain episode level precision for podcast pre-bid optimisation across Spotify Ad Exchange inventory through a new IAS Context Control update.
Integral Ad Science has introduced Context Control pre-bid optimisation segments for programmatic podcast audio and video, enabling advertisers to apply episode level contextual controls in The Trade Desk before bidding through the Spotify Ad Exchange.
IAS says its AI powered media quality measurement and optimisation will give advertisers clarity and control across social, CTV, audio and the open web, supporting stronger performance outcomes for podcast impressions.
It comes as IAB data shows US podcast advertising revenue rose 17.6% year on year in 2025 to reach $2.9 billion.
Lisa Utzschneider, chief executive officer of IAS, said: “Programmatic audio has always allowed brands to reach a large and growing audience, and now, with this launch, it also allows for greater control.
“By launching episode-level pre-bid optimisation for programmatic audio for Spotify, via The Trade Desk, we are enhancing brands’ ability to confidently drive their podcast ad spend, aligned to their own brand suitability profiles.”
Context Control segments include confidence to scale, episode level precision and 33 contextual avoidance segments across 11 industry categories at three risk levels, with seamless activation via The Trade Desk and rollout to other DSP platforms in coming months.
