Sounds Profitable

This week Tom Webster goes down a rabbit hole in The Podcast Landscape data to find out who consumes exactly one podcast genre, and why that group grew from 12% to 16% of monthly consumers in a year while the genre table barely moved. Tom gets into:
Why Comedy, Political Talk, and Celebrity Interviews all slipped, and where those points went
Who the one-genre consumer is: older than the stereotype, newer to podcasting, and likely to have found their one favorite show on YouTube or Facebook
How video platforms and Spotify drove the growth, and why discovery routes that run through other podcasts are missing for these listeners
What it means for hosts and publishers who hope to hand an audience a second show
Read the full issue here.

Today in the business of podcasting:
Audion and YouGov’s new study of 1,000 French adults finds YouTube is the top listening platform in France at 61%, ahead of Spotify at 38%. Most listeners use more than one platform, and 66% often or sometimes use a video platform to listen without watching.
Creative Screenwriting talks with QCODE and Daylight Media’s Shiva Nassab about adapting podcasts for film and TV. QCODE favors horror, thriller and sci-fi, and wants ongoing shows that can run past season one.
Flightcast launches automated YouTube-to-Spotify distribution for $100 per month. Creators can send individual videos, playlists or a whole catalog to Spotify, and future uploads syndicate automatically.
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:
SiriusXM’s CFO cited 20% growth in podcast advertising revenue on the Q3 earnings call, while ad revenue in the Pandora and Off-Platform segment grew 1% to $419 million. Forbes reports the company has kept its shows on YouTube and other ad-supported platforms rather than signing slate deals with streamers.
Scalable’s Kaya Yurieff and Jasmine Enberg call the 2026 midterms an “everything election,” arguing no single channel, including podcasts, will define it. Sounds Profitable’s The Podcast Landscape 2026 finds 26% of likely voters who consume podcasts weekly say a candidate’s appearance could make them more likely to vote for that candidate.
PodcastOne says multiple strategic parties have approached it about a potential acquisition, and its board has formed a special committee to oversee the process. Podnews reports shares rose around 50% on the news.
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:
Sounds Profitable, Coleman Insights, and Locked On are hosting a webinar on November 5 at 2pm ET, “The Power of Community: Why Podcasts Matter.” It presents new research among 2,000 Americans on how podcasts build connections with listeners.
Tom Webster shares survey findings from 5,473 U.S. adults on whether audiences would watch an AI-generated show. Among people who lost a favorite show, 45% would at least somewhat likely watch a new AI season, 41% would not, and views on AI hosts predicted the answer best.
The Small Business Administration now classifies creator-led businesses, podcasters included, under NAICS 5121. That could make it easier for creators to access microloans up to $50,000 and 7(a) loans up to $5 million.
Beehiiv now offers dynamically inserted podcast ads. Publishers can open their inventory, including back catalog episodes, to programmatic buyers alongside host-read ads, and keep 50% to 60% of programmatic revenue.
Tenderfoot TV turned a Radio Rental story into a stop-motion LEGO-style short film on YouTube. Apple Podcasts launched “The Greatest Stories Never Seen,” four animated videos built from podcast audio.
To find links to these, and every article covered in this week’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:
Tom Webster shares new Sounds Profitable research from a survey of 5,473 Americans on whether people would watch an AI-generated revival of a canceled favorite show. The split is nearly even, at 45% likely and 41% unlikely, and views on AI hosts predict the answer best.
RAJAR now measures both listening to and watching podcasts in the U.K., putting total weekly podcast consumption at 35% of the population, up from 26.9% for listening alone.
Triton Digital completes what it calls the first fully automated, AI-to-AI audio ad buy, with agents negotiating and booking a campaign in minutes instead of days.
Digiday looks at how political campaigns are hiring creators ahead of the midterms, with AdImpact expecting $12 billion in total spending.
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.