The Canadian Podcast Listener 2025, Signal Hill Insights’ comprehensive study of podcast consumption in Canada (now in its eighth year), has been posted. While the full report is only available to SHI subscribers, Matt Hird shares three key bits of data from the full report with actionable insights. Chief among which: video podcast consumption in Canada continues to grow, but those who exclusively watch their podcasts are still in the minority (24% of monthly Canadian podcast users). 51% of respondents partake of both audio and video podcasting. In-app discovery is growing (25% find a new show in the app they use for podcasts) while podcast-to-podcast discovery (e.g. a guest plugging their own show) has dipped to 13%. A shift that signals audiences shifting towards more recommendation-heavy platforms like YouTube and Spotify. Finally, of the eight mediums respondents were polled on, podcasting came in last place with only 18% of monthly consumers who skip ads “all the time.”
Influencer marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy tells Digiday only 26% of surveyed consumers prefer generative AI-made creator content to traditional creator content. A number down from 60% when polled in 2023. As negative audience sentiment about generative content rises, authenticity remains valuable. Creator economy strategist Gigi Robinson says creativity is the key to standing out in a sea of slop. Messy, unpredictable, sincere human-ness is impossible to replicate. Platinum Rye Entertainment SVP of celebrity and influencer management Lisa Singelyn expects brands might soon begin requesting tactical bits of imperfection in their contracts to content creators, intentionally creating flaws that generated content wouldn’t have.
Why creators are taking the reins on event hosting by Katie Hicks
It’s no secret live events are the current hotness with content creators. From YouTubers to podcasters, getting out on the road in front of live audiences is a healthy income stream. With that growing popularity comes a new wave of thinking, as bespoke companies have started popping up that allow creators to directly book and run their own live events, breaking from the tradition of events largely being sponsored, branded deals. Creator-focused agencies have also opened the door for micro-events in which creators are looking to book smaller venues with four-figure price tags.
As for the rest of the news…
- Quill and The Podglomerate are teaming up to host a webinar about The Dos and Don’ts and the Data Behind It for 2026. The presentation is slated for Tuesday, January 27th, at 1:00 p.m. EST.
- The Hollywood Reporter has coverage of CNN’s new licensing deal that brings several Lemonada Media video podcasts to their streaming platform.
- New research from Barb finds YouTube has passed the BBC for monthly audience reach figures in the UK over the last three months of 2025.
- Inside Audio Marketing takes a look at Nielsen’s new Audio Today report.
- WTOP has announced they have brought in friend of the pod John Wordock as their new business reporter (congrats, John!).
- The nominees for the 2026 iHeartPodcast Awards have been revealed.
- Just ahead of Podfest, new creator platform Creator Exchange (CreatorX) has launched and is onboarding creators, networks, and advertisers ahead of an official debut.
