IAB created new standards to eliminate confusion around how downloads and streams are measured and reported by implementing clear best practices for data collection, measurement, and reporting. This meant that the analytics data reported for a show could vary from place to place depending on how the host measured and reported analytics. There are multiple ways to track and report analytics data, and in the past, podcast hosting platforms used a variety of methods and filters for tracking and reporting downloads and streams. The IAB is working to standardize statistics in podcasting. Why are the new IAB analytics standards important for podcasters? In late 2017, the IAB released a document, the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines (Version 2.0), which contains a new set of standards for tracking, filtering, and reporting podcast downloads and streams. IAB stands for Interactive Advertising Bureau, an advertising business organization that develops industry standards, conducts research, and provides legal support for the online advertising industry. Simplecast's analytics engine is now IAB Certified, and having IAB Certified metrics is a great thing for your show.

This article is about the new industry standards for podcast analytics and statistics from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), and what it means for your show to have IAB Certified analytics.

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