Digital Audio Ad Spend Sets New Record At $8.4 Billion

"A download is not a listen" -- that's a key message in Steve Goldstein's latest guest column. He calls it "the download illusion" -- a download is a metric of distribution, not consumption. This is key to the slow shift undertaken by the podcast industry to understand consumption realistically. Big…

As the podcast industry leans deeper into video, research suggests the medium’s most valuable audience may still be listening. A new report from Sounds Profitable identifies a segment that it calls Audio Primes — podcast consumers who listen to at least 75% of their shows as audio — and finds they are not only highly engaged, but younger, more affluent, and more commercially valuable than the broader podcast audience.

Over the last seven years, the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group® has commissioned Advertiser Perceptions annually to survey brands and media agencies on the sales contribution of five advertising effectiveness factors: brand, creative, reach, recency, and targeting. We compared marketer and media agency perceptions of the five sales drivers with Circana sales effect data.

The IAB, which compiled its data with PwC, says the digital audio market reached $8.4 billion last year. That is a 10.2% increase from a year earlier.

Younger audiences are listening — but not necessarily to the news. A new report from the Reuters Institute finds that while people 18 to 24 are more engaged with podcasts than older groups, that interest is not translating into strong demand for news podcasts. That gap reflects a broader shift in how younger audiences define and engage with content. Rather than seeking out traditional news programming, they are gravitating toward formats that blend information with entertainment, personality, an

Since ChatGPT’s arrival in late 2022, AI has woven itself into the fabric of our everyday lives; the questions we ask, the decisions we make, and the help we reach for throughout the day. It has transformed from a loud, novel presence into something far more embedded – shaping how we think, work, and navigate the world.

Television data and analytics company Samba TV says Netflix’s early push into podcasting is already producing a distinct set of winners — and the results suggest that what works on the television screen may look very different from what succeeds in audio downloads or even on YouTube.In a first-quarter analysis of what it calls the inaugural Netflix Podcast Ranker, Samba estimates that 13% of U.S. Netflix-viewing households watched at least one Netflix podcast during the first three months of 202

The number of advertisers regularly using Spotify’s programmatic marketplace has risen 222% since last year.

One of Australia’s biggest radio broadcasters is diversifying into an entertainment business

62% of monthly active podcast users engage via YouTube, compared to 47% on Spotify, giving YouTube a 15-percentage-point lead.

Xperi has launched a premium version of its DTS AutoStage Broadcaster Portal, introducing new analytics tools designed to give radio stations more detailed and timely insight into audience listening behavior.

While True Crime podcasts dominate in ad performance, ORBIT ranking shows that brands are still under-investing in the genre

Digital audio is no longer a niche channel. Learn how streaming audio fits into media buying, from incremental reach to measurable performance.

How radio and audio advancements in measurement, content, and AI are expanding marketing value for brands Author: Tammy Greenberg SVP Business Development, RAB Audio is delivering a new level of va…

New research from Acast & Nielsen reveals how podcasts drive 34% incremental reach over radio and dominate video attention. Download the 2026 report.

The scale is established. The infrastructure is advancing. AI is accelerating the outcomes era. Audio can clearly participate in performance media, but how quickly will the market recognize that it is ready for the next phase?

Jessica Reyna is the owner of the Tampa marketing agency Kill Your Competition. And as the name of her company suggests, she isn’t one to mince words. So, her comments about radio on a new podcast are noteworthy. While much of her agency’s advice to marketers today is focused on how to use digital advertising, Reyna says radio remains the last traditional channel that she still recommends.

Podcasts aren't just growing. They're replacing time spent with social media and streaming music.

Bauer Media Audio has made its Rayo platform available directly inside connected vehicle dashboards via Android Automotive.

Research studies abound, measuring who listens to podcasts and how they listen. Much of that output is organized and presented by eminent audio researcher and Sounds Profitable partner Tom Webster. Such it is with the recently released presentation The Last Quarter: Understanding America’s Podcast Holdouts. The information in this package…

Radio doesn't lack ideas. It lacks the willingness to test them. Fear Of Finding Out (FOFO) explains why digital transformation keeps stalling.

So, here's what happened at Radiodays Europe in Riga over the last fe

The Meeting Point for Radio, Audio, Podcast

Nielsen’s Audio Today 2026 report finds AM/FM radio delivers a $2 return for every ad dollar spent, even as marketers continue to rank it low in perceived effectiveness.

Little Black Book, Announcements at DAX Audio Showcase 2026 include Nectar360 partnership to reach 24 million shoppers, alongside new sentiment targeting and advanced measurement capabilities