Sounds Profitable

Today in the business of podcasting:
A new Signal Hill Insights Pulse Report, conducted in partnership with FlightStory, finds that 45% of monthly podcast consumers in the U.K. used a smart TV to listen to podcasts in the past month, making it the second most-used device behind smartphones and ahead of computers. More than half of video podcast viewers watch during prime time hours, suggesting video podcasting is becoming a living-room, prime-time television behavior in the U.K.
NPR, its sponsorship subsidiary National Public Media, and podcast distributor PRX have announced a collaboration enabling NPM to sell sponsorships for station-produced podcasts hosted on PRX's Dovetail platform, with stations including Boise State Public Radio, LAist, and WWNO already participating.
Podcast subscription platform Supporting Cast has launched delivery of gated, subscriber-only video on Spotify using Spotify's Distribution API, making it the first subscription platform to offer this capability. Journalist-led podcasts Libero and Legacy are the first shows to use the feature.
Media writer Brian Morrissey examines how AI-driven changes to Google Search are accelerating the decline of page-view-based publisher models, and argues that the recent Vox Media sale reflects how owned podcast networks have become central to media companies' valuations.
To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Make your own Cannes Lions announcement graphic!
Sounds Profitable Partner Tom Webster breaks down data from the 2025 Advertising Landscape study showing that AM/FM radio Primes and podcast Primes overlap by just 1.4% of U.S. adults, arguing that the two media are not competitors but complementary channels reaching almost entirely different engaged audiences, and that combined inventory is worth more than either piece alone.
Written by Tom Webster
Edited and narrated by Gavin Gaddis

Find the full article here.

Today in the business of podcasting:
The Podcast Show 2026 wrapped up in London with a wave of industry activity, including the debut of a new UK advertising landscape study from Sounds Profitable and Sound Insights showing podcast ad recall is at near-parity with broadcast television, plus analyst presentations, an annual Podcast Standards Project meetup, and a live episode of Podnews Weekly Review recorded on stage.
RAJAR's MIDAS Spring 2026 survey found that 25% of UK adults listen to podcasts weekly, a figure that has remained relatively static since Winter 2024, with podcasts accounting for 6% of adult listening hours — ahead of owned music at 5% and audiobooks at 3%.
Goalhanger launched Goalhanger Ventures, a new investment and partnership arm that will back creator-led media businesses, with initial activity including an equity investment in Invisible Media and support for the podcast Backyard Cricket.
Spotify announced a wave of new features: a Memberships program for creators, an AI-driven Personal Podcasts feature, and Articles — a library of over 650 narrated long-form magazine pieces available to Premium subscribers through their monthly audiobook allowance or purchasable individually for $1.99.
To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

This week in the business of podcasting:
A new Sounds Profitable and Sound Insights study of 5,033 U.K. adults finds 43% of British adults listen to ad-supported podcasts monthly, with 79% of those listeners recalling a podcast ad in the past week at nearly equal rates across genders, offering a direct transatlantic comparison to the 2025 U.S. Advertising Landscape.
Owl & Co's Global Podcast Economy Report finds the global podcast industry generated $9.2 billion in revenue in 2025, up 23% year over year, with publishers that treated video as a monetization layer seeing the fastest revenue growth.
The fifth annual Podnews Report Card, based on creator feedback, finds YouTube has climbed to second place among major podcast platforms, overtaking Spotify but still trailing Apple Podcasts.
Rodrigo Tigre, co-founder and president of Ozen.fm, argues that Brazil's podcast advertising market is dramatically underdeveloped relative to U.S. digital audio and identifies three structural barriers that have now matured enough to be overcome.
To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Today in the business of podcasting:
Sounds Profitable and Sound Insights released The Advertising Landscape UK, the first large-scale study of how British audiences experience podcast advertising, finding that 43% of British adults listen to an ad-supported podcast monthly and 56% of those tune in daily or almost daily.
Owl & Co's Global Podcast Economy Report finds the global podcast economy generated $9.2 billion in revenue in 2025, a 23% increase from 2024, with publishers who treated video as a monetization layer growing revenue the fastest.
James Murdoch's Lupa Systems agreed to acquire most of Vox Media, including its podcast network, main website, and New York magazine, with CEO Jim Bankoff set to continue running the acquired assets.
Data from influencer platform Upfluence shows that top-tier TikTok micro-creators saw average brand deal rates rise 125% in Q1 2026 compared to Q1 2025, as brands shift toward smaller creators and paid content boosting over big-name influencer deals.
To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.