Podcasts are cementing their place in global culture and politics, but growth in advertising spend remains steady rather than explosive. According to WARC Media’s latest Global Ad Trends report, Podcast Media Sets Sights on Video Boom, publishers and platforms are turning to video content and creator-driven strategies to unlock new revenue streams and attract a larger share of ad budgets.
Global podcast ad spend is projected to exceed $5bn in 2025, and amount to $5.5bn in 2026. However, year-on-year growth is set to slow from 13.2% in 2024 to 7.9% in 2025, and only 6.5% in 2026. The growth lags behind other emerging channels, such as retail media (+14.8% in 2025), connected TV (+15.4%), and digital out-of-home advertising (+14.9%).
According to Alex Brownsell, Head of Content at WARC Media, “Podcasts are having a moment. Fresh from seemingly helping Donald Trump to win last year’s ‘podcast election’ in the US, brands are reappraising the medium through fresh eyes. However, ad investment growth remains sluggish, with podcasters trapped in a contest for a slow-growing pool of global audio ad budgets. Publishers and platforms are now eyeing expansion into video, in the hope of further boosting consumption, as well as winning a share of a fast-growing slice of the ad market.”
Despite challenges like difficulties in scaling ad buys and perceived deficiencies in measurement tools, 55% of global marketers plan to increase their podcast ad investment in 2025, according to WARC’s annual Marketer’s Toolkit survey. Podcasts rank fifth in investment intent, behind online video, influencer/creator marketing, and social media.
Video Podcasts Gain Traction
Video podcast consumption is on the rise, with YouTube emerging as the most popular platform. In 2024, viewers watched over 400 million hours of podcasts monthly on YouTube’s TV app. Spotify also reported significant growth, with more than 250 million users streaming video podcasts, particularly among Gen Z audiences, who watched 2.9 billion minutes of video podcast content in the first five months of 2024—a 58% year-on-year increase.
Brands are increasingly integrating creator content into their media plans, but obstacles remain. Some consumers prefer audio-only experiences, while podcast creators are hesitant to embrace video due to concerns over monetization control.
The US Dominates Podcast Ad Spend
The US remains the world’s largest podcast advertising market, accounting for 45.9% of global spend. In 2025, US podcast ad investment is expected to reach $2.4 billion, despite podcasts representing just 1.0% of total US ad spend. Retail leads in category spending, while the 2024 US election spurred a slight increase in government and non-profit ad budgets. Food category spending, though low, is forecast to grow by 13.2% in 2026.
Major brands like Amazon, T-Mobile, Capital One, and Toyota are among the top podcast advertisers in the US. In the UK, podcast ad spend is projected to grow by 12.8% in 2025, outpacing growth in search, social media, and digital out-of-home advertising.
Podcasts Shape Political Discourse
Podcasts played a pivotal role in the 2024 US election, with Donald Trump leveraging the medium more effectively than rival Kamala Harris. Trump appeared on podcasts with an average reach of 23.5 million, compared to Harris’s 6.4 million. Edison Research found that 44% of respondents sourced election information from podcasts, surpassing cable TV (34%) and platforms like X (33%).
Following the election, marketers are reconsidering their approach to podcast advertising, particularly in reaching younger male audiences through right-leaning content.
Audiences More Receptive to Ads
Podcast audiences are increasingly receptive to ads, with nearly 40% of listeners saying the medium has become “more relevant” in recent years, according to Acast. However, 42% of regular listeners skip ads they find intrusive. Host-read ads, particularly those over two minutes long, tend to outperform shorter ads, driving higher visitor rates to advertisers’ sites.
As the podcast industry evolves, video content and creator-driven strategies are poised to play a central role in its future growth.
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