Three Podcasting Trends We See from Surveying 66,000 Podcast Consumers in 2025 by Paul Riismandel
Over 2025, Signal Hill Insights has surveyed 29% more media consumers than last year, reaching 86,000 total. Looking back over the years’ research, Riismandel collects three big ones worth remembering. I’ll only spoil the last one, as it’s a big lesson worth remembering: expect surprises. Smart TVs became the second most-used device for podcast consumption with weekly podcast consumers. French-Canadian podcast consumption bounced back from a one-year decline with a new all-time high. The political identity of the average U.S. podcast consumer flipped from 2024, likely due to politically-charged influencers with podcasts doing a good job at evangelizing the concept of podcasting to their audience.
Marketers report the vibe of YouTube ad sales pitches has shifted in recent months, fine-tuned to a specific target: advertisers specializing in TV. According to Scanlon, the TV ad biz is built around the premise that big spending means big perks. Something YouTube has leaned into with their VIP (Video Incentives Program) offering. Credits, price advantages, and exclusive direct access to top YouTube creators for custom content, YouTube is acting like what it functionally is: television for a good chunk of the country.
Podcasters Love YouTube. That’s Making Podcast Advertising Less Predictable by Katie Deighton
The Wall Street Journal looks at a new report from Oxford Road and Podscribe. Video podcasting’s growth has been undeniable, including The Creators 2025’s finding that 71% of U.S. podcast creators now incorporate video in their production. Chief among the new Oxford Road/Podscribe white paper’s findings is YouTube views proving 18-25% less effective at converting sales than audio download. Which makes sense, given as of June YouTube has become somewhat of a tricky environment for the classic host-read ad with the implementation of “skip commonly skipped segment.” While the 30 second skip button has haunted audio podcast ads for decades, YouTube Premium viewers simply tap their TV remote twice to skip the exact length of any baked-in ad. The Rethinking YouTube white paper comes with a ten-step action plan to protect ROI, chief among the advice being “segment by platform.” RSS downloads and YouTube views do not perform 1:1 and shouldn’t be treated as such.
Podcasting and Audio Given Seat on the Creative Industries Council Following AudioUK Campaign
Here’s a fun follow-up to a bit of political action I covered earlier this year! Back in October AudioUK led a lobbying campaign (collecting the support of over 400 UK-based audio companies and businesses) that delivered an open letter to the government urging digital audio be recognized as a core UK creative industry. British-made film, music, TV, fashion, and more have long been enshrined with special protections and support from the Creative Industries Council, but after this fall’s campaign the CIC has now formally granted podcasting and audio a dedicated seat on the council, filled by AudioUK CEO Chloe Straw.
As for the rest of the news…
- A new case study looks at how Blue Wire Podcasting used the Magellan AI’s platform to address pain points caused by Blue Wire’s increased scale.
- On Air Fest has announced a slew of new guests and speakers for their February festival in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Early Bird ticket prices run through January 5th.
- Right Side Up director Lindsay Piper Shaw debuts a case study run with Fabric by Gerber Life, tracking the brand’s journey with podcast advertising since 2021.
