Sounds Profitable

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.

Today in the business of podcasting:
Sounds Profitable's new Podcast Atlas report maps five interconnected territories of podcasting audio, video, clips, social, and newsletters, finding that 78% of listeners engage with podcasts during hands busy activities while 77% still report giving the medium their full or nearly full attention.
Netflix CMO Marian Lee outlines the streamer's deliberately varied podcast deal strategy, mixing exclusive arrangements like Jay Shetty's with non-exclusive deals as the company adapts its traditional greenlight model to a creator economy where the creator is the brand.
Spotify's VP of Product details a multi-year rebuild of the company's ad infrastructure, including a proprietary ad exchange called SAX that has now opened podcast inventory to Amazon DSP buyers, even as Q1 2026 ad-supported revenue dipped 5% year over year despite audience growth.
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 released The Podcast Atlas, a study of more than 5,000 U.S. consumers mapping the creator economy into five territories: audio, video, short-form clips, newsletters, and social platforms.
Tom Webster's follow-up analysis, The Format That Travels, uses the Atlas data to argue audio wins the ad environment battle, capturing 78% of hands-busy listening moments and topping every platform on listener trust and ad receptivity.
Miroma Group acquired audio advertising agency Ad Results Media, marking a major U.S. expansion move that folds ARM's podcast-native performance advertising expertise into Miroma's broader agency portfolio.
Ben Robins' latest Purchase Funnel installment digs into UK podcast ad conversion data, finding strong purchase rates among younger listeners but a notable gap among listeners 55 and older compared with other platforms.
Cannes Lions recaps from Next Audio's Lemya Soltani and Sounds Profitable's Bryan Barletta highlight how podcast networking events can be run on a shoestring budget, alongside a new Sounds Profitable YouTube panel on why niche podcast communities can outperform broad-reach shows on advertiser metrics.
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.