Report: Programmatic Audio Is a Core Buy for Marketers in 2026 by Cameron Coats
A new Proximic by Comscore survey of over 200 advertising decision-makers in November finds 58% of marketers plan to increase programmatic investments this year, down from 72% at the same time in 2024. Proximic attributes this to buyers transitioning away from “scale first, optimize later” into a more disciplined spend strategy. With that discipline comes heavier investment in audio and podcasts specifically (often coupled with connected TV as buyers package them both into the same media plan). A notion backed up by a recent Audacy Insights post looking at Nieslen Commspoint data showing adding audio to a mix with OTT increased conversion rates 11%. In addition to reach, streaming radio and podcasts act as a primer for audiences, with Audacy finding adding audio to a marketing mix drives brand awareness up 26%.
Netflix’s CEO says the streamer is competing with YouTube “in every dimension”
Tubefilter covers Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos directly addressing YouTube as competition, saying “they are TV. So we all compete with them in every dimension…” Flash back to March of last year, when Sarandos said YouTube was in the “killing time” business while Netflix was in the business of “spending time.” Going from saying YouTube is a time sink to directly addressing YouTube is direct competition is a major shift for Netflix.
Deadline covers the announcement that Substack has launched their TV app into beta on Apple TV and Google TV. The app features both free and paid programming featuring notable Substack content creators and celebrity guests. The announcement sparked a wave of comments and social media discussion about Substack’s continued move away from the written word. I put it to you, dear reader, the fact that this Deadline article at no point uses the phrase “newsletter” is important. Substack made a concerted effort to brand newsletters on their service as “a Substack” instead of “a blog” or “a newsletter” ages ago. Substack making a pivot to video acts as a microcosm of what outsiders see when they look in at the most popular parts of video podcasting: an industry known for a specific format that, to an untrained eye, looks like it’s just posting longform YouTube videos. It’s on the medium (or the specific company in Substack’s case) to communicate what “a podcast” (or “a Substack”) actually is to the wider world.
A short but important one to any Podcast Academy members in the audience: The Ambies 2026 nominations are live and voting is now open for TPA members. The deadline is Thursday, February 5th and winners will be announced Monday, February 23rd at On Air Fest in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
As for the rest of the news…
- Edison Research has published their top 50 podcasts in the US for Q4 2025.
- Lower Street has hired Alex Zingale Centner as their new Head of Audience Development.
- Semafor has interviewed Freakonomics’ Stephen Dubner, including a discussion on why longform podcasting is alive and well.
- The Roost has signed on The Crew Has It, hosted by actors Michael Rainey Jr. and Gianni Paolo, bringing the podcast back from a two year hiatus.
- OPB profiles The Zooquarium Podcast, a Kids & Family production by Portland artist Mike Bennett.
- The Media Leader has a new piece collecting 2026 industry predictions from industry leaders (including our own Bryan Barletta).
- Writer Mark Tanner gives an overview of how China’s podcasting scene has grown in recent months.
