Oxford Road Report Uncovers Podcasting’s Shocking $1B Growth Problem

Leading audio agency Oxford Road announces its discovery of a looming crisis in podcasting advertising measurement, one that is costing the podcasting industry $1B in additional spend.

Detailed in “What Brands Want 2025: How Audio Publishers & Platforms Can Win Over Advertisers”, Oxford went directly to podcasting’s biggest advertisers, surveying them about ad load, brand safety, AI, programmatic, creative, as well as measurement and attribution.

Their findings show that measurement is the #1 barrier to growth, with 50% of respondents citing limitations in performance data as the main constraint on spend. More specifically, 76% of brands would increase their podcast investment if attribution for YouTube podcasts matched that available for audio. With nearly a quarter of advertisers willing to grow their spend by 50% or more, this suggests up to $1B in additional spend could be unlocked with standardized video attribution.

The findings in “What Brands Want” were sourced by surveying brand decision makers – including six of the top 10 spenders in podcasting, representing roughly 15% of total U.S. podcast ad spend.

Other insights from the report include:

• Brands remain skeptical of AI host reads, signalling the need for stronger disclosure and industry standards to protect trust.
• Programmatic expansion is accelerating, with it set to increase significantly within the coming year.
• Respondents are increasingly concerned about rising clutter, necessitating more tools like “The Oxford Clock” to help publishers optimize and protect ad effectiveness.
• Reaching consensus on the definition of a "podcast” remains crucial to solving budget, management and attribution confusion across audio, video, influencer, and YouTube teams.
• Brand safety remains a top concern in the face of political extremism, violence, and misinformation, especially with reliable tools still lacking post-GARM.

“The message is clear: If the industry can deliver on measurement, advertisers have signaled they are ready to scale their investment,” says Dan Granger, CEO of Oxford Road. “The next phase of growth for podcasts and audio won’t be defined by content or distribution alone, but by trust, transparency, and accountability in how impressions and results are measured. We need leading platforms to move quickly on behalf of stakeholders across this industry. Creators, Networks, and brands are standing by.”

To download “What Brands Want 2025” report, visit: https://oxfordroad.com/thought-leadership/what-brands-want-2025