Sounds Profitable's Podcast Landscape 2026: Podcast Reach Holds Steady as Netflix and Video Reshape How Americans Consume Podcasts
- 74% of U.S. adults have consumed podcasts, with 39% consuming weekly
- Netflix emerges as the third most-named podcast platform in its first year carrying podcasts
- 44% of podcast consumers watched a video podcast in the past week, up from 40%
- 40% of podcast consumers at least occasionally consume podcasts with others
Sounds Profitable, the trade association for the podcasting industry, today released the first installment of The Podcast Landscape 2026, its annual study of podcast consumption in the United States. The research reveals an increasingly mature podcast market, with overall reach remaining stable as consumers continue to embrace video, explore new platforms, and change how they engage with their favorite shows.
Based on a nationally representative survey of 5,473 U.S. adults, the study found that 74% of Americans have consumed a podcast, 55% have done so in the past month, and 39% in the past week. While overall reach has remained essentially unchanged from 2024, the audience continues to evolve: 34% of podcast consumers say they started consuming podcasts within the past year, up from 28% in 2025.
Among the most significant findings is the arrival of Netflix as a major podcast platform. In its first year carrying podcasts, Netflix was named by 21% of podcast consumers as a platform they had used in the past 12 months, placing it third behind YouTube (63%) and Spotify (33%), and ahead of Apple Podcasts (15%). However, just 5% identified Netflix as their most-used podcast platform.
“Podcasting’s audience isn’t standing still. New consumers are entering the category, video is becoming an increasingly natural part of the experience, and platforms like Netflix are changing where people find and consume podcasts,” said Tom Webster, Partner at Sounds Profitable. “But as podcasting becomes more integrated into the broader media landscape, we need to protect what makes the medium unique. The opportunity is to embrace new platforms without sacrificing the openness and accessibility that allow independent creators to reach audiences wherever they choose to consume.”
The findings also point to a continued shift away from podcast native applications. Just 15% of podcast consumers now identify a podcast native app as their most used platform, down from 19% in 2025. Apple Podcasts saw its share decline from 11% to 8%, while YouTube maintained its position as the most used podcast platform at 40%.
Video consumption grows without expanding overall podcast reach
While podcast reach has remained stable, video continues to account for a growing share of consumption. Among podcast consumers, 44% watched a video podcast in the past week, up from 40% in 2025. Meanwhile, the share who have never watched a video podcast declined from 14% to 10%.
Americans’ understanding of what constitutes a podcast is evolving alongside these behaviors. Just 17% now expect podcasts to be audio-only, down from 21% in 2025, while 83% believe video can be part of the format.
The shift is particularly evident on connected televisions. Among smart TV podcast consumers, 71% identify YouTube as their most used podcast app, followed by Netflix at 12%.
A stable audience continues to attract new consumers
Although overall reach has remained steady, the podcast audience continues to refresh. More than one-third (34%) of podcast consumers say they began consuming podcasts within the past year, up from 28% in 2025.
Monthly podcast consumers also skew younger than the general U.S. adult population and are more likely to have children at home, with 38% reporting children in their household compared with 31% of all U.S. adults.
The research further highlights the increasingly social nature of podcast consumption. Four in ten podcast consumers (40%) say they at least occasionally consume podcasts with other people, up from 37% in 2025.
Consumers are also demonstrating sustained engagement with individual shows. The typical monthly consumer regularly follows two or three podcasts, while 39% of podcast consumers engage with limited-series programming. Of those who consume limited series, 71% actively seek a replacement when a series ends.
Across formats and platforms, the fundamental appeal of podcasting remains consistent: 79% of consumers identify discussions on topics of interest as an important reason podcasts matter to them.
About Sounds Profitable
Sounds Profitable is a trade organization representing the leading companies in audio and podcasting. Boasting industry-leading research, an influential newsletter with 10,000 subscribers around the world, and a podcast on the latest developments in the key news of the audio world. Sounds Profitable provides the most critical insights into the business of podcasting, with over 200 partners and growing. With the goal of providing perceptive content from its experts – and a diverse collection of the brightest minds in podcasting – Sounds Profitable ensures that everyone in the industry is set on a clear path to more listeners and revenue from their amazing shows. For more information, please visit soundsprofitable.com and follow along on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/sounds-profitable.
This is a press release which we link to from Podnews, our daily newsletter about podcasting and on-demand. We may make small edits for editorial reasons.