I was struck the other day when interviewing a senior-level media decision-maker at an agency holding company said, “Well, podcasts are the new TV, right?”
Given the popularity of viewing podcasts on video platforms and the investment of some streamers into podcasts, I realized, there may be a case to be made.
If there is one corner of audio that has shattered the ceiling, it is podcasting, and the data backs that up. Research fielded in April 2026 by Advertiser Perceptions found that 69% of US audio advertisers plan to increase their podcast spending over the next 12 months, the highest growth rate of any audio format. One in 4 anticipate that spend increase to be significant. And for those already investing in podcast ads, they now account for over one-quarter of their total audio budgets.
Even more impressive is how podcasts have already carved out a functional role that has historically been hard to deliver. Podcasts are now ranked as the best media type for driving consideration and buying intent. This is a critical mid-funnel objective that usually requires a much bigger investment for TV, video or social.
By stepping into territory that used to belong exclusively to more expensive, hyper-competitive channels, podcasting offers a rare opportunity: a significant, largely accessible path from awareness to action.
The Bundled Opportunity Most Buyers Are Missing
Among advertisers who don’t currently buy podcasts, 47% say they are strongly interested in bundled streaming audio and podcast packages. Among current podcast buyers? That interest jumps to 57%.
That’s more than half the market signaling an appetite for integrated audio, yet most media plans still aren’t reflecting it.
Bundled buys offer scale, audience continuity, and format diversity within a single investment. A listener who hears your brand in a music streaming context and then encounters your message in a podcast they trust is not only being reached multiple times, but they are also being reached in two meaningfully different mindsets.
That kind of contextual layering is exactly what brand-building planners hunt for in other channel combinations. Audio can deliver it at equal scale and usually at a much lower cost per touch.
