Podcasts overtake spoken-word radio

• For the first time in history, podcasts are now bigger than spoken-word radio, according to new data from Edison Research at SSRS. This time ten years ago, podcasting was more than seven times smaller than AM/FM radio, which was a dominant force in spoken-word listening. But, over the last decade in the US, the share of time spent using AM/FM radio to listen to spoken-word audio has almost halved - shifting to time spent with podcasts.

  • There will be more data about podcasting next month, with the publication of The Infinite Dial® 2026, with support from SiriusXM Media. The gold standard of research on podcast consumption, the new data will be unveiled by Megan Lazovick, VP of Edison Research at SSRS, in a free webinar on Mar 12. She’ll be joined by our Editor, James Cridland.

• A new report on ad spend from Guideline says that US digital audio ad revenue will increase +9.3% this year, to $2.9bn. Podcasts are expected to hit 35% of digital audio ad spend (suggesting podcast ad spend of just over $1bn). Figures are worked out differently to the IAB, which suggested podcasting was $2.4bn in 2024.

  • Guideline also reported that growth in digital audio ad spend is at the expense of TV budgets - $87mn was shifted out of TV into digital audio advertising in 2025 - and radio declined by $29.3mn. Digital audio advertising was still less than 5% of the total media mix in 2025.

• Piling on to radio’s diminishing place in audio, in the UK, radio charity association The Radio Academy is now The Audio Academy, "as it deepens its focus across the rapidly expanding audio landscape”. Nick Pitts was made Chair.

• Oxford Road has launched the Independent Creator Awards Show, built to honor independent podcasters and creators. Jurors include Ashley Flowers, Hernan Lopez, and our editor James Cridland; Libsyn is the founding sponsor. The awards take place at SXSW on Mar 15.

• The nominations were announced for the National Magazine Awards. There is a podcasting category, with five nominations, including two shows from PRX.

• The UK podcast festival Crossed Wires has announced a new wave of hit podcasts for the event. New shows include JaackMaate, and a true crime takeover from Audio Always.

• Threads is continuing to roll out its podcast integration. You may now have access to a place in your profile to add your podcast: it supports links to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. The result looks like this.

• Shows going video: Platform Media and Ranga Bee has announced that its Wolf & Owl podcast will become video first; the show, with Tom Davis and Romesh Ranganathan, will be on YouTube and Spotify … After more than twelve years and 300 episodes, the Private Equity FunCast is now on YouTube and Spotify in video form. “Guarantee that you won’t be able to get the theme song out of your head.”

• Broadcaster and adventurer Ben Fogle is to host a new podcast called Wildest Moments. The show highlights the 200th anniversary of conservation charity ZSL, which operates London Zoo … BBC Radio hosts Matt Edmondson and Mollie King have launched a new podcast, Novel Idea, which they describe as comedy-meets-crime … and Comedic history show Softcore History has joined the roster of Backyard Ventures.

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