The Podcast Atlas, Part Two: What The Screen Adds by Tom Webster
Webster’s second article cracking open The Podcast Atlas compares how video and audio podcasts perform for advertisers among each format’s most engaged users (known as Primes). Video shortens the path to purchase: 15% of video users report buying immediately after seeing an ad versus 10% for audio, and 67% took some action versus 63%. Trust travels across formats, with community and connection scores essentially tied between the two, and 73% of listeners say they would follow a host from audio into video. Webster attributes video’s conversion edge to the simple fact video has a screen users can tap, while audio requires an extra step of actively seeking out a product or brand after hearing an ad. “The belief audio earns in the screen-free hours is the same belief video puts to work when the screen is on.”
Apple Podcasts’ Video Push Shows Early Promise by Ashley Carman
Bloomberg’s Soundbite newsletter checks in on Apple Podcasts’ video rollout four months after launch. Early numbers are encouraging but muddy: Transistor.fm’s opt-in waitlist exceeds 1,500 creators, and Acast’s 180 opted-in shows have seen roughly a 25% jump in Apple consumption since launch, though current analytics cannot separate audio plays from video plays. Only 10 shows on the Apple Podcasts US top 200 currently offer video. “The bumps the video-enabled shows have seen look very similar to any other promotion,” says Bumper co-founder Dan Misener, who notes most of Bumper’s clients are taking a wait-and-see approach because video adds workflow and monetization complexity without a clear return.
Where Engagement Went in Q2: The Earnings Preview by Hernan Lopez
Owl & Co’s Streamonomics newsletter previews Q2 earnings season through engagement data, and the attention is not where the profits are. Netflix’s Top 10 viewing hours fell roughly 4% year over year in the first half of 2026. Only 11 Netflix series crossed 100 million viewing hours, while Instagram grew engagement double digits, TikTok grew high single digits, and YouTube still leads on both mobile and TV globally.
Why Streaming Sponsorships Are the Most Efficient Buy in TV by Sam Joachim
In a sponsored post on Digiday, Tatari’s senior director of client services argues that in-show sponsorships beat standard streaming placements on efficiency despite CPMs running 2 to 3 times higher. Tatari’s data shows sponsorship inventory generating a 62% higher response rate than standard placements, with roughly 75% of in-show audiences incremental to a brand’s existing campaigns. In one case study, a health and wellness brand ran 30 midroll sponsorships across five publishers over 18 months and saw a 53% higher response rate at a cost per acquisition “within striking distance” of its standard buys. While sponcon, Tatari’s data is interesting reading from the perspective of podcasting, as the industry has long embraced show-level sponsorships (if not outright branded podcast content) similar to how CTV handles sponsorships.
…as for the rest of the news:
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The Stony Brook University Podcast Incubator is hosting a free webinar on Thursday, July 16 discussing outside-the-box podcast marketing with creator Faybeo’n Mickens and Multitude CEO Amanda McLoughlin.
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Dylan Sprouse and Brendan Columbus launch Wildmen, a weekly video podcast produced with Daylight Media.
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PodSEO founder Andrea De’Marsi joins Podcast Advertising Playbook to explain why podcast apps’ music-style search buries shows and why AI tools pull podcast recommendations from third-party listicles rather than platform charts.
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It’s that time of year for “best of the year so far” listicles. The Podglomerate’s Joni Deutsch took it a step further and asked five AI tools to name the best new podcasts of 2026 so far to compare and contrast the results.
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Michael Strahan and SMAC co-founder Constance Schwartz-Morini will co-host an interview show as SMAC launches The Intersection, a podcast network built with Sinclair’s AMP Media.
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Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom launches Back from the Brink, a biweekly video podcast on wildlife recoveries hosted by Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and narrated by Peter Gros (premieres July 23).
