Podcast¬†hosting provider¬†Wizzard Software¬†announced today a partnership with Nielsen//NetRatings to offer certified download data. According to Wizzard, certified download numbers will bring “a new level of accountability to podcast ad sales.”

“Our adoption of the Nielsen//NetRatings solution….will elevate our participating publishers‚Äô podcasts to an entirely new level of consideration by advertisers and agencies as a viable, measured tool for reaching highly targeted, opt-in consumers,” said Chris Spencer, chief executive officer, Wizzard.

“In the few months that we have been meeting with agencies and advertisers, we have repeatedly heard that they want to see reputable, third-party measurement of podcast downloads,” said Jim Else, vice president of sales, Wizzard Media. “Measurement via Nielsen//NetRatings‚Äô SiteCensus addresses these concerns in a big way, and we believe it will have a very positive impact on our podcast ad sales efforts.”

“Third-party measurement is absolutely essential to the future of podcast advertising,” adds Page Thompson, chief executive officer North America for ad agency OMD. “From a media planning standpoint, it is critical that we have credible data from a known source. This will help us evaluate podcast advertising alongside other forms of measured media.”

According to Wizzard, the company handled more than 85 million download requests in July.