Podcast Advertising 2026 Statistics (Updated September)

How big is podcast advertising

1. 1

   U.S. podcast advertising revenue grew 17.6% to $2.9 billion in 2025.

   Source: IAB and PwC, Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2025, 2026 ^[1]

2. 2

   U.S. podcast advertising revenue grew 26.4% in 2024, after 5.5% growth in 2023.

   Source: IAB and PwC, Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2024, 2025 ^[2]

3. 3

   U.S. podcast ad revenue was $105.7 million in 2015, the first year in IAB's series; by 2025 it was $2.9 billion.

   Source: IAB and PwC, Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2025, 2026 ^[1]

4. 4

   U.S. digital audio advertising, podcasts included, earned $7.6 billion in 2024, 8.5% more than in 2023.

   Source: IAB and PwC, Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2024, 2025 ^[2]

5. 5

   U.S. podcast ad revenue grew 5% to $1.9 billion in 2023, as losses at mid-sized podcast companies offset gains at the largest.

   Source: IAB and PwC, U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study FY2023, 2024 ^[3]

6. 6

   U.S. podcast ad revenue grew 26% to $1.8 billion in 2022, twice as fast as internet advertising overall (11%).

   Source: IAB and PwC, U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study FY2022, 2023 ^[4]

7. 7

   U.S. podcast ad revenue grew faster in 2022 than social media advertising (4%) or paid search (8%).

   Source: IAB and PwC, U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study FY2022, 2023 ^[4]

8. 8

   In 2023, IAB predicted that U.S. podcast ad revenue would more than double to about $4 billion by 2025 (forecast); the 2025 result was $2.9 billion.

   Source: IAB and PwC, U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study FY2022, 2023 ^[4]

9. 9

   In 2024, IAB predicted U.S. podcast ad revenue of nearly $2.6 billion in 2026 (forecast); revenue passed that in 2025.

   Source: IAB and PwC, U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study FY2023, 2024 ^[3]

10. 10

    The fourth quarter's share of U.S. podcast ad revenue fell to 29% in 2022, the lowest in six years.

    Source: IAB and PwC, U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study FY2022, 2023 ^[4]

11. 11

    Advertisers in small categories together drove 28% of U.S. podcast ad revenue in 2022, more than any single large category.

    Source: IAB and PwC, U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study FY2022, 2023 ^[4]

12. 12

    About 71% of U.S. podcast creators make video versions of their shows, IAB's 2025 revenue report says.

    Source: IAB and PwC, Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2025, 2026 ^[1]

Podcast ad revenue at the largest companies

1. 13

   iHeartMedia's podcast revenue grew 20.7% year over year in the second quarter of 2026.

   Source: iHeartMedia, second quarter 2026 results, 2026 ^[5]

2. 14

   iHeartMedia's Digital Audio revenue rose $40.2 million, or 12.4%, in Q2 2026, mainly on demand for digital and podcast advertising.

   Source: iHeartMedia, second quarter 2026 results, 2026 ^[5]

3. 15

   Advertising revenue in SiriusXM's Pandora and off-platform business rose 5% to $413 million in Q2 2026, which SiriusXM credits to podcasting, higher programmatic demand and technology fees, partly offset by weaker streaming music advertising.

   Source: SiriusXM, second quarter 2026 results, 2026 ^[6]

4. 16

   Acast's net sales grew 28% to SEK 775.6 million in the second quarter of 2026; in North America they grew 34%.

   Source: Acast, interim report January to June 2026, 2026 ^[7]

5. 17

   Acast's net sales for January to June 2026 were SEK 1,420.6 million, 24% more than a year earlier.

   Source: Acast, interim report January to June 2026, 2026 ^[7]

6. 18

   Creators in the Spotify Partner Program keep 100% of the revenue from sponsorships embedded in their episodes.

   Source: Spotify newsroom, September 2026, 2026 ^[8]

Who hosts the shows advertisers buy

1. 19

   Four hosting platforms hold 746 of the 1,387 shows on Apple's top-100 charts in 18 countries (53.8%): Megaphone, Anchor, Acast and Omny Studio, in Podcastquery's count of Apple chart shows matched to Podcast Index feeds.

   Source: Podcastquery · Apple charts read September 2026 · 1,387 chart shows joined to a feed

2. 20

   Megaphone hosts 0.57% of all podcast feeds and 17.23% of Apple top-100 chart shows; Acast hosts 1.18% and 11.39%, Omny Studio 0.43% and 9.81%, in Podcastquery's count of the Podcast Index and Apple top-100 charts.

   Source: Podcastquery · feed dump 2026-08-16; Apple charts of 18 storefronts · 4,711,475 feeds; 1,387 chart shows

3. 21

   Nine ad-selling enterprise hosts (Megaphone, Omny Studio, Acast, Simplecast, Audioboom, ART19, Podigee, Audiomeans, Prisa Audio) carry 3.35% of all podcast feeds but 51.41% of Apple top-100 chart shows, in Podcastquery's count of the Podcast Index.

   Source: Podcastquery · feed dump 2026-08-16; Apple charts of 18 storefronts · 4,711,475 feeds; 1,387 chart shows · method

4. 22

   Enterprise hosts carry 60 of the 97 U.S. Apple top-100 shows we could join to a feed (61.86%); Megaphone alone carries 30, in Podcastquery's count.

   Source: Podcastquery · Apple U.S. top 100, September 2026 · 97 U.S. chart shows joined to a feed

5. 23

   The six U.S. audio majors (iHeartMedia, SiriusXM, Spotify, Cumulus Media, Audacy and Amazon) hold 8 of the 100 slots on Apple's U.S. top-100 podcast chart, in Podcastquery's count.

   Source: Podcastquery · Apple U.S. top 100, September 2026 · 100 U.S. chart slots

Ad spend, ad load and categories

1. 24

   Podcast ad spending grew 23% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, Magellan AI measured.

   Source: Magellan AI, Quarterly Benchmark Report Q2 2026, 2026 ^[9]

2. 25

   The average advertiser ad load in podcasts rose to 8.75% in Q2 2026, from 8.25% in Q1, in Magellan AI's Q2 2026 benchmark report.

   Source: Magellan AI, Quarterly Benchmark Report Q2 2026, 2026 ^[9]

3. 26

   Insurance brands raised podcast ad spend 60% in Q2 2026, led by Progressive, State Farm and UnitedHealth Group, in Magellan AI's Q2 2026 benchmark report.

   Source: Magellan AI, Quarterly Benchmark Report Q2 2026, 2026 ^[9]

4. 27

   Nearly 1 in 5 brands that started podcast advertising in Q2 2026 (18%) included sports podcasts in their plan, in Magellan AI's Q2 2026 benchmark report.

   Source: Magellan AI, Quarterly Benchmark Report Q2 2026, 2026 ^[9]

Do podcast ads work

1. 28

   YouTube views of podcast ads were 18% to 25% less effective at driving purchases than audio downloads, Oxford Road and Podscribe found.

   Source: Oxford Road and Podscribe, Re-Thinking YouTube (press release on Podnews), 2026 ^[10]

2. 29

   By Oxford Road's estimate, advertisers may lose up to $250,000 in conversion value for every $1 million spent on YouTube podcast impressions.

   Source: Oxford Road and Podscribe, Re-Thinking YouTube (press release on Podnews), 2026 ^[10]

3. 30

   78% of brands in the Oxford Road and Podscribe study showed lower response rates as YouTube's share of their podcast buy grew.

   Source: Oxford Road and Podscribe, Re-Thinking YouTube, 2026 ^[11]

4. 31

   Podcast ads had an aided brand recall rate of 71% in Nielsen's brand lift studies, against 50% among people not exposed to an ad.

   Source: Nielsen, emerging media brand lift analysis, 2023 ^[12]

5. 32

   86% of the most active U.S. podcast listeners recall an ad after hearing it on a podcast, Sounds Profitable found in 2025.

   Source: Sounds Profitable, The Advertising Landscape, 2025 ^[13]

6. 33

   80% of the most active U.S. podcast listeners trust the ads they hear on podcasts, Sounds Profitable's 2025 Advertising Landscape study found.

   Source: Sounds Profitable, The Advertising Landscape, 2025 ^[13]

7. 34

   Among the most active U.S. users of each medium in Sounds Profitable's 2025 Advertising Landscape study, 86% of men and 85% of women recall podcast ads; on AM/FM radio the figures are 86% and 75%.

   Source: Sounds Profitable, The Advertising Landscape, 2025 ^[13]

8. 35

   76% of U.S. weekly podcast consumers age 13 and older have acted after hearing an ad on a podcast, for example by visiting a website or using a promo code.

   Source: Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2026, 2026 ^[14]

9. 36

   66% of U.S. weekly podcast consumers aged 13 to 34 have visited a company or product website after hearing a podcast ad; 45% of those 55 and older have.

   Source: Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2026, 2026 ^[14]

10. 37

    58% of U.S. weekly podcast consumers aged 13 to 34 have recommended a product after hearing it advertised on a podcast, against 28% of those 55 and older.

    Source: Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2026, 2026 ^[14]

11. 38

    In a Nielsen Media Impact planning example for a pharmaceutical advertiser, moving 5% of a $42 million plan to podcasts raised estimated reach among adults 18 to 54 from 39% to 55% (a 41% lift) at the same spend, Edison reports.

    Source: Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2026, 2026 ^[14]

What academic studies found

1. 39

   A 2022 survey of 1,714 podcast listeners in the Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies found favourable attitudes toward podcast advertising, strongest for host-read ads.

   Source: Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, 2022 ^[15]

2. 40

   42% of Estonian marketers consider podcasts a suitable marketing channel.

   Source: Marketing and Management of Innovations, 2022 ^[16]

3. 41

   Nearly two thirds of 482 U.S. commercial radio stations offered no podcasts at all, and fewer than 20% offered more than one, in a 2022 study published in Popular Communication.

   Source: Popular Communication, 2022 ^[17]

4. 42

   18.3% of 109 emergency medicine and critical care blogs and podcasts used advertisements; 27.5% sold products, in a 2022 study published in JMIR Medical Education.

   Source: JMIR Medical Education, 2022 ^[18]

5. 43

   A 2023 IEOM Society conference paper surveying 246 Gen Z listeners in Ho Chi Minh City found that how informative, irritating and credible podcast ads seem shapes the value listeners give them.

   Source: IEOM Society conference proceedings (Vietnam 2023), 2023 ^[19]

Frequently asked questions

How much is spent on podcast advertising?

U.S. podcast advertising revenue was $2.9 billion in 2025, up 17.6% from 2024, according to IAB and PwC. It was $1.9 billion in 2023 and $105.7 million in 2015.

Is podcast advertising still growing?

Yes. IAB measured 26.4% growth in 2024 and 17.6% in 2025. Magellan AI saw podcast ad spending up 23% year over year in Q2 2026, and iHeartMedia's podcast revenue grew 20.7% in the same quarter.

Did podcast ad revenue meet IAB's forecasts?

Not the 2023 one. In 2023 IAB predicted about $4 billion by 2025; the 2025 result was $2.9 billion. The 2024 forecast of nearly $2.6 billion for 2026 was passed a year early.

Do podcast ads work?

Nielsen measured an aided brand recall rate of 71% for podcast ads, against 50% for people not exposed. Edison reports that 76% of U.S. weekly podcast consumers have acted after hearing a podcast ad. Oxford Road and Podscribe found YouTube podcast views 18% to 25% less effective at driving purchases than audio downloads.

Who hosts the podcasts advertisers buy?

Nine enterprise hosts, led by Megaphone, Acast and Omny Studio, carry 3.35% of all podcast feeds but 51.41% of the shows on Apple's top-100 charts in 18 countries, by Podcastquery's count. In the U.S. chart they carry 60 of 97 joined shows.

Sources

1. [1]IAB and PwC, Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2025. 2026.↑1 ↑3 ↑12
2. [2]IAB and PwC, Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2024. 2025.↑2 ↑4
3. [3]IAB and PwC, U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study FY2023. 2024.↑5 ↑9
4. [4]IAB and PwC, U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study FY2022. 2023.↑6 ↑7 ↑8 ↑10 ↑11
5. [5]iHeartMedia, second quarter 2026 results. 2026.↑13 ↑14
6. [6]SiriusXM, second quarter 2026 results. 2026.↑15
7. [7]Acast, interim report January to June 2026. 2026.↑16 ↑17
8. [8]Spotify newsroom, September 2026. 2026.↑18
9. [9]Magellan AI, Quarterly Benchmark Report Q2 2026. 2026.↑24 ↑25 ↑26 ↑27
10. [10]Oxford Road and Podscribe, Re-Thinking YouTube (press release on Podnews). 2026.↑28 ↑29
11. [11]Oxford Road and Podscribe, Re-Thinking YouTube. 2026.↑30
12. [12]Nielsen, emerging media brand lift analysis. 2023.↑31
13. [13]Sounds Profitable, The Advertising Landscape. 2025.↑32 ↑33 ↑34
14. [14]Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2026. 2026.↑35 ↑36 ↑37 ↑38
15. [15]Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies. 2022.↑39
16. [16]Marketing and Management of Innovations. 2022.↑40
17. [17]Popular Communication. 2022.↑41
18. [18]JMIR Medical Education. 2022.↑42
19. [19]IEOM Society conference proceedings (Vietnam 2023). 2023.↑43

Method

We searched Google for podcast advertising statistics, podcast ad revenue and podcast ad statistics, read the 9 statistics pages that ranked, and counted how many repeat each number. We traced each number to the organisation that produced it and checked it against that organisation's report on September 24, 2026. For academic work we searched OpenAlex and Google Scholar for studies of podcast advertising since 2019; most report sample sizes and effects rather than shares, and several sit behind publisher paywalls. IAB and PwC changed format after 2023: the separate podcast study became a section of the annual internet advertising report. Forecasts are marked. Podcastquery numbers come from the Podcast Index feed dump of 2026-08-16 and the Apple top-100 charts of 18 storefronts.

Podcastquery numbers new on this page:

• Nine ad-selling enterprise hosts (Megaphone, Omny Studio, Acast, Simplecast, Audioboom, ART19, Podigee, Audiomeans, Prisa Audio) carry 3.35% of all podcast feeds but 51.41% of Apple top-100 chart shows, in Podcastquery's count of the Podcast Index. Feeds and Apple top-100 chart shows on the nine enterprise hosts named in the Podcastquery Anchor report, added up across all 18 storefronts.

All 43 statistics as a CSV: podcast-advertising-statistics.csv.

Cite this page

Podcastquery, “Podcast Advertising 2026 Statistics (Updated September)”, updated September 2026, https://podcastquery.com/research/podcast-advertising-statistics

To cite one number, link its anchor: each statistic has one, for example https://podcastquery.com/research/podcast-advertising-statistics#stat-1.