Sounds Profitable

Today in the business of podcasting:
Podcast Movement 2026 opens public voting on conference sessions for the first time, with nearly 800 submissions from more than 500 speakers. Voting runs through July 21, and 50% of the New York City conference's schedule will be decided by community vote.
Tom Webster publishes The Podcast Atlas, Part Two: What The Screen Adds, with five findings on video podcasting as an ad environment, including a shorter path to purchase and the highest attention levels of any format in the study.
Bloomberg's Soundbite checks in on Apple Podcasts' video rollout four months after launch, finding encouraging early numbers from Acast and Transistor.fm but analytics that can't yet separate audio plays from video plays.
Owl & Co's Streamonomics previews Q2 earnings season through engagement data across nine platforms, showing Netflix viewing hours declining while Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube keep growing.

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:
Tom Webster's The Podcast Atlas, Part Two: What The Screen Adds compares how video and audio podcast ads perform among each format's most engaged users. Video shortens the path to purchase, with 15% of video users buying immediately after seeing an ad versus 10% for audio.
Bloomberg's Soundbite newsletter checks in on Apple Podcasts' video rollout four months after launch, finding encouraging but muddy early numbers as analytics can't yet separate audio plays from video plays.
Owl & Co's Streamonomics newsletter previews Q2 earnings season through engagement data, with Netflix viewing hours falling while Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube keep growing.
In a sponsored Digiday post, Tatari argues streaming in-show sponsorships beat standard placements on efficiency, with a 62% higher response rate despite CPMs running 2 to 3 times higher.
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:
Signal Hill Insights' 2026 benchmark report, "How Podcasts Impact Brand Perceptions," finds video podcast ads now make up 54% of aggregated brand lift data, up from zero in 2023, with video edging audio by one to two points on mid funnel and purchase intent metrics.
Forbes contributor Damion Taylor argues podcasters need to make their audio "AI legible" with transcripts, speaker IDs, and timestamps, warning that platforms prioritizing video visuals over audio quality risk making hosts sound less intelligent and likable to listeners.
Audacy research covered by Inside Audio Marketing finds news/talk radio listeners are more loyal and trusting than other formats and skew affluent, making the audience a strong fit for integrated sponsorships over traditional spot buys.
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, Tom Webster cracks open the Podcast Atlas to look at video podcasting's strengths in advertising.

The Podcast Atlas finds video podcast ads outperform audio on purchase intent and post-ad actions, 15% for video versus 10% for audio, while matching or beating audio on trust, commanding the highest attentive viewership of any format, and topping YouTube ads on five of six receptivity measures.
Written by Tom Webster
Edited and narrated by Gavin Gaddis

Find the full article here.

Today in the business of podcasting:
Podcast Movement 2026, set for September 17-18 in New York City, has launched its first public voting process for conference sessions, with half the schedule chosen by community vote and half by a selection committee reviewing nearly 800 submissions.
AdsWizz has renewed exclusive European audio ad sales agreements with SoundCloud and Sonos, extending partnerships first signed in 2021 and 2022 and covering SoundCloud's reach across 14 markets.
Febreze is leaning on podcasting for its World Cup and MLS season marketing push, including a first-ever off-studio brand integration with What Now? with Trevor Noah filmed in an NFL soccer team's boot room.
Mel Robbins talks with Digiday about AI in content creation, shifting ad dollars toward audio, and what audience ownership looks like for independent podcasters.
AdExchanger's Cannes coverage shows creator and influencer marketing solidifying as the new normal for brands, a trend podcasting is well positioned to capitalize on.
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.