Latin American Podcasting Experts Share 2025 Insights and 2026 Predictions

This past week, Qué Está Pasando en el Podcasting released its Year in Review episode for 2025. Four leading voices in Spanish-language podcasting reviewed the year and shared their outlook for 2026. They are:

Luciano Banchero: co-founder at Posta from Argentina

Gerónimo Ávila: CEO at Sonoro Media from México

Fernanda Estrada: non-fiction producer at Sonoro Media from México

Karla Vélezmoro: producer and Vice President of the Peruvian Podcast Association (APEPO)

The episode has a full write up in our newsletter Tropical Podcasting. We cover this year’s highlights in podcasting, like podcasts entering the mainstream and pop culture, concerns on videopodcasting and the search for innovation in this space, monetization strategies, AI’s role in production, and the challenge of defining identity in a big video-first market in 2026.

Select quotes from the episode:

Standout Moments

“A standout moment in the world of podcasting is the inclusion of podcasts in different pop culture platforms that help legitimize our genre. One of them could be the new podcast category at the Golden Globes or the decision to include podcasts in recognized and established film showcases.” - Fernanda Estrada

Concerns

“My biggest concern about the industry this year has to do with (the word) podcast becoming synonymous with video-podcast. I’m not worried about video itself, but I am worried about the lack of creativity and lack of innovation when it comes to this format.” - Luciano Banchero

Innovations

“Clips as a monetization engine. Podcasts are financed more by what circulates on TikTok, Reels, or YouTube Shorts than by what is sometimes heard on Spotify.” - Karla Vélezmoro

“The most significant innovation in the world of podcasting cannot be understood without the world of artificial intelligence.” - Fernanda Estrada

Artificial Intelligence

“I think this year artificial intelligence helped all types of industry players, big and small, to streamline and shorten processes.” - Luciano Banchero

Monetization

“There are more and more advertisers who see the value of podcasts versus radio or other media like social media. I think they increasingly see it as a channel that connects better with audiences than others. And that has to do with the fact that social networks are saturated with advertising today.” -Gerónimo Ávila

Challenges in 2026

“For me, the big challenge will not be monetizing, but defining identity in a market where conversational video podcasts reign.” - Karla Vélezmoro

Spanish-language podcasting is one of the fastest-growing segments globally and these experts offer ground-level insights from Latin America.

About Tropical Podcasting:

Tropical Podcasting is a weekly newsletter delivering curated news, trends, and strategies from the global podcasting industry to Spanish-speaking creators and professionals.

About Qué Está Pasando en el Podcasting:

Qué Está Pasando en el Podcasting is a weekly podcast discussing the news, trends, and strategies shared in Tropical Podcasting. Hosted by Julio Axel Ponce and Mayra Ortiz, we analyze the headlines to explore what they mean for Spanish-speaking creators and professionals.