Edison Research at SSRS released The Podcast Consumer 2026, its annual in-depth study of the U.S. podcast audience. The findings point to a medium at an inflection point: for the first time, as many weekly podcast consumers are watching as are listening to podcasts. The report also covers how much time the audience spends with audio, what content they are choosing, and how podcasts influence their behavior.
Podcast Watching and Listening Are Now Virtually Even
Video podcast consumption overtook audio-only consumption for the first time in Q3 2025 Edison Podcast Metrics, with 82% of weekly podcast consumers actively watching video compared to 78% listening to audio only. The two formats have been running neck and neck ever since, a dramatic shift from 2023 when 89% of weekly consumers listened to audio only while just 73% watched video.
Podcast Audiences Are Heavy Audio Consumers
Daily podcast consumers spend 5 hours and 11 minutes per day with all audio sources, according to Edison’s Share of Ear study (Q1 2026). That’s over an hour more than the 3 hours and 57 minutes per day spent with all audio sources by Americans ages 13+.
Daily podcast consumers spend 36% of their daily audio time with podcasts and 51% of their daily ad-supported audio time with podcasts.
Podcasts Have Proven Ad Impact
Seventy-six percent of weekly podcast consumers say they have acted as a result of hearing a podcast ad, including visiting a website, making a purchase, using a promo code, or recommending a product.
Shifting a portion of ad budget to podcasts can increase reach. A real-world media mix analysis found that reallocating budget to podcasts lifted reach among adults 18–54 by 41%, with no increase in spend, according to Nielsen Podcast Fusion powered by Edison Podcast Metrics.
Podcast Consumers Have Nuanced Views on AI
Podcast consumers have strong feelings about generative AI, and the data is nuanced. Consumers are largely open to AI handling behind-the-scenes production tasks: 69% approve of AI being used to conduct research, and 69% approve of AI being used to brainstorm ideas. However, they also have concerns: 62% of weekly podcast consumers consider AI a threat to the credibility of podcasts, and 59% see it as a threat to creativity.
Vice President Megan Lazovick presented findings from the study, which combines research from The Infinite Dial®, Share of Ear®, Edison Podcast Metrics™, and Sports Poll by SSRS.
Lazovick said, “This presentation represents just a fraction of the research we conduct to understand the U.S. podcast consumer. The growth of this medium has been an incredible thing to watch, and the data continues to show an audience that is deeply engaged, fiercely loyal, and growing every year.”
About the study
The Podcast Consumer 2026 draws upon the following datasets: Edison Podcast Metrics™, Share of Ear®, The Infinite Dial® with sponsor SiriusXM Media, and Sports Poll by SSRS.
About Edison Research at SSRS
Edison Research at SSRS conducts survey research and provides strategic information to a broad array of clients worldwide, having conducted research in 66 countries. Edison’s The Infinite Dial® series has been the survey of record for digital audio, social media, podcasting, smart speakers, and other media-related technologies since 1998. Share of Ear® is the only single-source measure of all audio in the U.S. Edison is the leading podcast research company in the world, producing the only survey-based data on podcast listening in the U.S., Edison Podcast Metrics, and has conducted research for many companies in the space.
About SSRS
SSRS is breaking the mold on what research companies can do. A full-service market and survey research firm, we use the latest data collection best practices and apply cutting-edge survey methodologies backed by insight from our industry-leading team. We have genuine enthusiasm for our work and a shared goal to connect people through research. Our solutions include groundbreaking approaches fit for purpose: the SSRS Opinion Panel, The Voter Poll by SSRS, the SSRS Text Message panel, and more. Our research areas focus on Health Care and Health Policy, Public Opinion and Policy, Political and Election Polling, Consumer and Lifestyle, and Sports and Entertainment.
