Ozen.fm Becomes BBC Podcast Ad Seller in Latin America
BBC Studios has appointed Ozen.fm as its exclusive local advertising sales representative for BBC podcast inventory in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Argentina, according to a report from the trade outlet that interviewed Ozen.fm President and Co-Founder Rodrigo Tigre.
A regional market seen as far behind
Tigre says digital audio makes up about 3% of U.S. digital ad spend, an $8 billion business, with podcasts accounting for at least $2 billion a year. He notes that even in the U.S., IAB research shows more listening time than ad spend, and he estimates Brazil is almost 10 times behind. Ozen.fm, based in New York, sells streaming radio and podcast inventory to brands and agencies. Its partners include small publishers, Folha de S.Paulo in Brazil, Olímpica in Colombia and now the BBC.
Tigre co-founded the company in 2025 inside Surfer Network, a U.S. radio streaming company. He says Spotify dominates audio buying in Latin America, particularly in Colombia, Argentina and Chile, while Brazil and Mexico are more developed. His goal, he says, is to show Spotify is one part of a wider ecosystem.
Why the BBC needs a local seller
Tigre says the BBC does not sell podcast advertising in the UK, only abroad, and produces a large amount of Portuguese and Spanish content. BBC Studios says its portfolio includes more than 500 current and archive titles. Tigre argues the broadcaster lacks local sales teams, which are expensive to run worldwide. Ozen.fm can bundle BBC shows with others in similar categories for global advertisers such as Shell and Coca-Cola, as well as regional resellers.
The deal followed about a year of talks that began at The Podcast Show London. Ozen.fm first bought some BBC inventory for Brazilian demand before signing an exclusive direct-sales agreement that carries commitments. It allows category exclusivity on some shows within BBC rules, and news content cannot be sponsored.
Bundling small shows and measuring results
The same approach applies to smaller podcasts. Tigre counts about 20 Brazilian agribusiness shows with estimated monthly audiences of 3,000 to 10,000 each, which together form an offer for advertisers. Ozen.fm also runs a network of about 15 independent Brazilian true crime shows and is testing host-read ads there.
Measurement is central to the pitch. Ozen.fm encourages clients to use post-listening attribution, through a conversion pixel or partners such as AppsFlyer, and brand lift studies through a partner with about 90 templates. Tigre describes one campaign where optimization after the first month cut cost per acquisition to about half the prior month’s level. Footfall measurement is in development. He stresses that third parties, not Ozen.fm, run the measurement.
To limit fraud and avoid problems seen in early programmatic advertising, the company favors direct partnerships and uses HUMAN Security and Podscribe to verify traffic. It aims to build data clean rooms next year.
Tigre recommends brands allocate 3% to 5% of media budgets to audio and compare Spotify against other audio. He says Ozen.fm is meeting its goals on the BBC deal and is in talks with other publishing groups. “We know it performs. We always knew it performs. Now we can show it performs,” he says.
Source: netinfluencer.com
Image: netinfluencer.com
