Blue Tiger Engage October 2025
BT Engage: October Newsletter
Welcome to Blue Tigers monthly newsletter Engage, bringing you all the latest news, trends and updates from across the media landscape. In this month’s edition we look at the major news stories that captured the headlines at the beginning of Q4.
Spotify partners with Netflix for video podcast distribution deal
Spotify is bringing its video podcasts to Netflix starting next year, the company announced on Tuesday. Amid the company’s push to further expand its video content selection and boost its ads business, Spotify has announced a partnership with Netflix that will showcase select video podcasts on the popular streaming service.
At launch, the Netflix-Spotify partnership will bring a curated selection of sports, culture, lifestyle, and true crime podcasts from Spotify Studios and The Ringer to Netflix. Over time, the deal will see Spotify adding even more podcasts from other studios and genres, Spotify said.
The move follows Spotify’s increased focus on video podcasts, beginning with the launch of tools that made it possible for anyone to publish their shows as videos. Over the past year, the company has added incentives that paid podcaster hosts for their popular videos and launched a Partner Program so hosts could monetize their video content, in a challenge to YouTube.
Spotify’s interest in streaming video comes after a major shift in its podcast strategy back in 2023, which included layoffs, including that of chief content and business officer Dawn Ostroff, who had led its podcast initiatives. During Ostroff’s time at the service, Spotify had invested billions in podcasts, buying studios like Parcast, The Ringer, and Gimlet Media, and signing exclusive podcast deals with big names like Joe Rogan and Alex Cooper, which have since expired.
However, Spotify’s investments failed to turn into substantial profits, necessitating a new strategy. Video, which is heavily consumed by Gen Z users in particular, offers more opportunities for ad products and monetization, the company now believes. As of Q2 2025, the company said it now has more than 430,000 video podcasts on its service, and video consumption is growing 20x faster than audio-only consumption since 2024. More than 350 million Spotify users have also streamed a video on its platform, up 65% year-over-year.
Reached for comment, Spotify declined to share the details of its deal with Netflix, in terms of ad-sharing or monetization.
ITV launches Dynamic Pause Ads
ITV has launched Dynamic Pause Ads, with custom adverts generated for users on ITVX when they pause on-demand content on connected TVs.
The brand new format – a UK first – is launching with British Airways as the initial brand to trial Dynamic Pause Ads. The flag carrier is using this format as part of its “The End of Summer Sale” campaign, offering customers limited-time, special offers when booking their next adventure.
Using real-time information, viewers will see a bespoke version of a pause ad featuring live pricing and tailored travel packages from British Airways.
ITV launched targeted Pause Ads on ITVX in early 2024, allowing advertisers to deliver a billboard or print-style static ad on screen and are bookable via Planet V. Since launch, the format has proved extremely popular with both established advertisers and new-to-TV brands, particularly those who may not have created a TV ad but have static advertising.
Calum Laming, British Airways’ Chief Customer Officer, said: “We’re always looking for smarter ways to connect with our customers and this new format allows us to do just that. It’s a great example of how we are continuing our transformation programme, using digital innovation to create more personalised, relevant experiences, meeting our customers where they are.
“We want customers to enjoy a seamless end-to-end British Original experience and that starts with their very first interaction with us. This new format is all about supporting them from the moment they start planning their next adventure, offering inspiration and great value fares.”
This activation marks a significant step forward in how we use first-party data to deliver dynamic, destination-specific pricing in a premium BVOD environment. By harnessing natural pause moments and combining them with live pricing, we’ve created a high-impact format that captures attention. It’s a brilliant example of how AV and Data specialists are evolving AV into a smarter, more personalised space.
Jeremy Long, Trading Controller at ITV, said: “Pause ads have been a real game changer since we launched them on ITVX and this is the next iteration in making them an even better concept for both advertisers and viewers. Working with BA, we’re able to get exact live deal pricing and information in front of potential customers, making the ads as up to date, informative and relevant as possible. We’re excited to work with more brands across a variety of sectors to grow this even further.”
Rajar Q3 2025 results show stability and growing commercial reach
The Q3 2025 audience report from Rajar — the United Kingdom’s official radio measurement body — covering the three months from June 23 to Sept. 14 confirms that radio remains deeply embedded in British media habits. With 50.1 million people tuning in weekly, representing about 86 percent of the adult population, the figures offer a valuable snapshot of how radio is evolving in one of the world’s most advanced digital markets.
The U.K. has long served as a benchmark for radio’s transition to digital listening, with strong public service broadcasting, consolidated commercial groups and mature audience measurement. Its trends often mirror or anticipate those in other developed markets, providing an indicator of how traditional radio and digital audio coexist as listener behaviour changes.
Overall listening hours declined marginally — down 0.4 percent quarter-on-quarter to about 1.02 billion — but weekly reach remained steady. The most significant shift was in market share: commercial radio climbed to 56% of all listening, compared with the BBC’s 41.7%.
Digital platforms now account for 77% of all listening hours, with smart speakers representing 18.2% and connected devices almost 30%. For international observers, the U.K.’s experience underscores how digital integration — from DAB+ to streaming and voice interfaces — is reshaping the economics and accessibility of live radio.
Global achieved its highest-ever reach and share this quarter, with 29 million weekly listeners and 28.1% of all radio listening — the strongest performance by any U.K. operator. Global’s strategy of brand diversification and digital expansion continues to pay off. Spin-offs such as Heart 90s and Capital Chill have broadened reach, while data-driven ad solutions strengthen its commercial position.
Bauer Media Audio UK maintained its position as the second-largest commercial group with 22.9 million weekly listeners. The network saw strong gains for Magic Radio (soft pop and easy listening), up nearly 9% year-on-year, and steady performance from Absolute Radio, which plays rock and guitar-based music, along with its decade-themed spin-offs such as Absolute 80s and Absolute 90s.
ITV Studios seeks to expand reach further via Spotify deal
Zoo 55, part of ITV’s production and distribution arm ITV Studios, has entered into a content partnership with Spotify. The deal will see ITV Studios video content, such as archived The Graham Norton Show, available to Spotify users for the first time.
The move reflects both the audio giant’s strategy of expanding its video offering and ITV’s ongoing efforts to diversify its output on different platforms to expand reach.
In July, we reported on a “first-of-its-kind” partnership between ITV and Disney, which made their content available on each other’s streaming services.
Late last year, ITV also signed a content partnership with YouTube to show full episodes on the Google platform.
ITV wasn’t the first to the YouTube game. In 2022, Channel 4 became the first UK broadcaster to strike a distribution deal for long-form content with the video platform.
The broadcaster’s move to distribute shows through more platforms highlights a shift towards digital viewing as well as a strategy to boost reach, diversify audiences and, as a result, drive additional revenue streams and potentially deepen its advertiser pool.
Speaking at The Future of Audio and Entertainment in May, Abul Noor, ITV’s head of YouTube sales, stated that, by expanding its distribution strategy to include YouTube, the broadcaster has picked up 2-4% incremental audience reach.
In the same way Channel 4 and ITV have utilised YouTube as a tool for engaging more audiences, Spotify could provide a similar purpose.
In May, Channel 4 announced that content from its digital-first brand, Channel 4.0, would be distributed on Spotify’s mobile and desktop apps.
This marked a first for a UK broadcaster and is part of Channel 4’s strategy to become a “digital-first public-service streamer” by 2030.
Indeed, at The Future of Audio and Entertainment, Katie Bowden, managing director of audio at Global, suggested that placing programming on more platforms allows broadcasters greater opportunity to sell branded content.
With Spotify now offering more than 430,000 video podcasts and consumption on the rise, the platform indeed seems to offer opportunity for incremental reach.
dan@bluetigermarketing.co.uk
Sources:
ITV.com, Tech Crunch, The Media Leader, Video Week, Adexchanger, The Drum, Marketing Week, Campaign
