Podcast and Audio Advertising Statistics for 2026: 27 Verified Data Points

By Christoph Olivier | Published 2026-07-31 | Last updated 2026-07-31

This briefing compiles verified statistics on U.S. podcast and digital audio advertising for 2026. Figures come from the IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report (reported industry revenue), Edison Research’s Infinite Dial and Share of Ear studies (consumer surveys), and eMarketer (forecasts). Reported revenue and survey estimates are labeled separately because they measure different things. Every statistic below carries a number, a year, a geography, and a source link.

Executive Summary

• U.S. podcast advertising revenue reached $2.862 billion in 2025, up 17.6% year over year, according to the IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report (reported revenue).
• U.S. digital audio advertising, the category that contains podcasts, streaming music, and streaming radio, reached $8.4 billion in 2025, up 10.2% from $7.6 billion in 2024 (IAB/PwC).
• 55% of Americans age 12 and older, about 158 million people, listened to a podcast in the past month in early 2025; that figure rose to 58% in the 2026 Infinite Dial survey (Edison Research).
• The weekly U.S. podcast audience reached 40% of Americans 12+ in 2025 and 45% in 2026, up from 15% in 2017 (Edison Research, survey).
• Podcasts held a 20% share of ad-supported audio time in Q3 2025, second to AM/FM radio at 64% (Edison Share of Ear, survey).
• The median age of the U.S. podcast audience rose to 39 in Q3 2025, up from 29 in 2017 (Edison Share of Ear, survey).
• eMarketer forecast U.S. podcast ad spending of $2.51 billion for 2025 and expects the category to exceed $3 billion by 2028 (forecast, different methodology from IAB).
• U.S. programmatic digital audio ad spend was projected at $2.26 billion in 2025, up 18% year over year (eMarketer forecast).

Key Findings

1. U.S. podcast advertising revenue was $2.862 billion in 2025, up 17.6% year over year (IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report, full year 2025, reported revenue).
2. U.S. podcast advertising revenue was $2.4 billion in 2024, up 26.4% year over year (IAB U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study, FY2024, reported revenue).
3. U.S. podcast ad revenue growth was 5.5% in 2023, the category’s slowest year on record before rebounding (IAB, reported revenue).
4. U.S. podcast ad revenue grew from $105.7 million in 2015 to $2.862 billion in 2025 (IAB, reported revenue).
5. U.S. digital audio advertising revenue was $8.4 billion in 2025, up 10.2% from $7.6 billion in 2024 (IAB/PwC, reported revenue).
6. Digital audio held 2.8% of total U.S. internet advertising revenue in 2025 (IAB/PwC, reported revenue).
7. 55% of Americans 12+, about 158 million people, listened to a podcast in the past month in early 2025 (Edison Research Infinite Dial 2025, survey).
8. 70% of Americans 12+ had ever listened to a podcast, and 73% had consumed a podcast in audio or video form, in early 2025 (Edison Research Infinite Dial 2025, survey).
9. The weekly U.S. podcast audience was 40% of Americans 12+ in 2025, more than double the 15% recorded in 2017 (Edison Research Infinite Dial 2025, survey).
10. Monthly podcast consumption reached 58% of Americans 12+ in the 2026 Infinite Dial survey, and weekly consumption reached 45% (Edison Research Infinite Dial 2026, survey).
11. 79% of Americans 12+, about 228 million people, listened to online audio monthly in 2025, rising to 81% (about 233 million) in 2026 (Edison Research Infinite Dial, survey).
12. AM/FM radio held a 64% share of ad-supported audio time in Q3 2025, with podcasts at 20%, Spotify at 6%, and Pandora at 5% (Edison Share of Ear, Q3 2025, survey).
13. The median age of the U.S. podcast audience was 39 in Q3 2025, up from 34 in 2023 and 29 in 2017 (Edison Share of Ear, survey).
14. eMarketer forecast U.S. podcast ad spending of $2.51 billion for 2025 and projected the category would exceed $3 billion by 2028 (eMarketer, forecast).
15. U.S. programmatic digital audio ad spend was projected at $2.26 billion in 2025, up 18% year over year and accounting for 30% of digital audio spend (eMarketer, forecast).

Podcast Advertising Revenue (IAB/PwC, Reported Revenue)

The IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report is the primary industry measure of U.S. podcast ad revenue. It reports actual revenue collected, compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers for the IAB, not survey estimates or forecasts. The 2025 full-year edition was released in April 2026.

Growth decelerated from a 72% spike in 2021 and a 26% gain in 2022, but the category recorded double-digit expansion in four of the past five years. The 2023 slowdown to 5.5% preceded the 2024 rebound, which the IAB attributed to expanding podcast networks, deeper brand integrations, better audience targeting, and political spending in the U.S. election cycle.

Context and limitation: the IAB report notes that its podcast figures reflect a traditional, audio-based definition and that the definition is changing as video becomes a leading channel for podcast consumption. The report states that roughly 71% of U.S. podcast creators now produce video versions of their shows, which means audio-only revenue counts may understate total podcast monetization.

Digital Audio Advertising (IAB/PwC, Reported Revenue)

Digital audio is the broader IAB category that includes podcasts, streaming music, and streaming radio.

Digital audio held 2.8% of total U.S. internet advertising revenue in 2025. Podcast advertising ($2.862 billion) accounted for roughly one-third of digital audio revenue ($8.4 billion) that year.

Podcast Listenership and Reach (Edison Research, Survey)

Edison Research’s Infinite Dial is the longest-running survey of U.S. audio behavior. It is a consumer survey, not a revenue count. The Infinite Dial 2025 was released in March 2025; the Infinite Dial 2026 was released in early 2026.

The weekly podcast audience of 40% in 2025 more than doubled the 15% recorded in 2017. In the 2026 survey, the share of Americans who both listen to and watch podcasts rose to 57%, up from 48% in 2025, reflecting the shift toward video podcasts.

Demographics (Edison Research, Survey)

In the Infinite Dial 2025, monthly podcast consumption was higher among men (57%) than women (52%), a gap Edison linked to a strong male video podcast audience. The 2026 survey found that listeners age 55 and older were a key driver of digital audio growth, indicating the audience is aging rather than concentrating only among younger listeners.

Edison’s Share of Ear data confirms the aging trend. The median age of the U.S. podcast audience rose to 39 in Q3 2025, up from 34 in 2023 and 29 in 2017. Per Edison Podcast Metrics, YouTube was the most-used podcast service among U.S. weekly podcast listeners, with 33% using it in 2025.

Share of Ear: Podcasts vs Radio (Edison Research, Survey)

Edison’s Share of Ear measures how Americans divide their daily audio time. It is a survey. In Q3 2025, AM/FM radio dominated ad-supported audio.

Podcasts are the second-largest ad-supported audio source in the U.S. but remain well behind AM/FM radio. Combined, AM/FM radio and podcasts accounted for the large majority of daily ad-supported listening in Q3 2025. Edison also reported that AM/FM radio and digital audio together reach about 74% of Americans.

Ad Spend Forecasts (eMarketer, Forecast)

eMarketer publishes forward-looking forecasts using a different methodology from the IAB. Its podcast figures are lower than the IAB’s reported revenue because the two use different definitions and inputs. Treat these as projections, not reported results.

• U.S. podcast ad spending forecast at $2.51 billion in 2025 (eMarketer, forecast).
• U.S. podcast ad spending expected to exceed $3 billion by 2028 (eMarketer, forecast).
• Podcasts represented 0.9% of total U.S. digital ad revenues in 2024 (eMarketer).
• Podcasts accounted for about 33.8% of overall U.S. digital audio ad spending (eMarketer).
• U.S. programmatic digital audio ad spend forecast at $2.26 billion in 2025, up 18% year over year, and about 30% of digital audio spend (eMarketer, forecast).

Ad Effectiveness (Trade Research, Secondary)

Cumulus Media’s 2025 Audioscape, which draws on Edison Podcast Metrics, Share of Ear, MRI-Simmons, and Magellan AI, reported that no major brand is close to saturating podcast audiences and recommended brands allocate about 5% of digital budgets to podcasting. A separate Oxford Road and Podscribe analysis of more than 1,000 podcast campaigns across over 100 brands found YouTube podcast views were 18% to 25% less effective at driving purchases than audio podcast ads. These are trade-research findings; treat them as directional.

Original Synthesis

1. Podcast share of digital audio revenue (cross-source, IAB/PwC)

Dividing reported U.S. podcast ad revenue ($2.862 billion, 2025) by reported digital audio ad revenue ($8.4 billion, 2025) yields a podcast share of about 34% of digital audio revenue in 2025. Inputs: IAB/PwC full-year 2025 report. Limitation: both figures are IAB/PwC reported revenue for the same year, so the ratio is internally consistent, but the IAB’s audio-only podcast definition may understate podcast monetization that now flows through video.

2. Reach up, time share flat (cross-source, Edison)

Edison’s Infinite Dial shows monthly podcast reach rising from 55% (2025) to 58% (2026), while Edison’s Share of Ear shows podcasts holding a 20% share of ad-supported audio time in Q3 2025. Inputs: Infinite Dial 2025 and 2026, Share of Ear Q3 2025. The combination indicates podcast reach keeps expanding while podcast share of total daily ad-supported listening time has not overtaken radio. Limitation: reach (any listening in a period) and time share (minutes) measure different things and are drawn from separate Edison instruments.

3. Reported revenue exceeds forecast (cross-source, IAB vs eMarketer)

The IAB reported $2.862 billion in U.S. podcast ad revenue for 2025, while eMarketer forecast $2.51 billion for the same year, a gap of about $350 million. Inputs: IAB/PwC full-year 2025 report; eMarketer forecast. The gap reflects methodology: the IAB counts reported revenue from participating sellers, while eMarketer models spending using a different definition. Limitation: the two numbers are not directly comparable and should not be blended.

Methodology

Source selection prioritized primary industry measurement (IAB/PwC for revenue), the definitive U.S. audio consumer surveys (Edison Research Infinite Dial and Share of Ear), and named forecast providers (eMarketer). Inclusion required a specific number, a year, a geography, and a retrievable source. Statistics that could not be traced to a fetched source were excluded. Reported revenue (IAB/PwC), survey estimates (Edison), and forecasts (eMarketer) are labeled separately throughout because they measure different quantities and are not interchangeable. Where the IAB and eMarketer figures diverge, both are shown with the gap explained rather than reconciled into a single number. All figures are U.S. unless stated. Last updated 2026-07-31.

Source Quality Ranking

Tier 1 (primary industry bodies and definitive surveys): IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report and IAB U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study (reported revenue); Edison Research Infinite Dial and Share of Ear (primary consumer surveys).

Tier 2 (credible market research and forecasts): eMarketer forecasts; Cumulus Media Audioscape and associated trade research (Magellan AI, MRI-Simmons).

Tier 3 (reputable trade journalism reporting on the above): Radio Ink, Barrett Media, Inside Radio, Westwood One analysis, Podnews.

Journalist Resources

Most quotable statistics

• U.S. podcast ad revenue hit $2.862 billion in 2025, up 17.6% (IAB/PwC).
• 158 million Americans, 55% of those 12+, listened to podcasts monthly in early 2025 (Edison Research).
• Podcasts held 20% of U.S. ad-supported audio time in Q3 2025 versus radio’s 64% (Edison Share of Ear).
• The median U.S. podcast listener is now 39 years old, up from 29 in 2017 (Edison Share of Ear).

Data limitations

• IAB reported revenue and eMarketer forecasts use different definitions; do not blend them.
• The IAB’s audio-only podcast definition may understate revenue as video podcasting grows.
• Edison reach metrics (monthly or weekly listeners) and Share of Ear time metrics measure different things.
• Infinite Dial and Share of Ear are surveys with sampling error, not censuses.

Downloadable dataset: recommended fields

• metric_name, value, unit, year, geography, source_org, source_type (reported/survey/forecast), source_url, retrieved_date, notes

Press summary (about 150 words)

U.S. podcast advertising reached $2.862 billion in 2025, up 17.6% year over year, according to the IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report, which measures reported industry revenue. The broader digital audio category, including streaming music and radio, reached $8.4 billion, up 10.2% from $7.6 billion in 2024. On the consumer side, Edison Research’s Infinite Dial found 55% of Americans 12 and older, about 158 million people, listened to a podcast monthly in early 2025, rising to 58% in the 2026 survey. Weekly listening climbed to 45% in 2026 from 15% in 2017. Yet Edison’s Share of Ear shows podcasts held just 20% of ad-supported audio time in Q3 2025, well behind AM/FM radio at 64%, and the median podcast listener is now 39. eMarketer, using a different method, forecast $2.51 billion in 2025 podcast spend and more than $3 billion by 2028.

Suggested headlines

1. U.S. Podcast Ad Revenue Hits $2.86 Billion in 2025, Up 17.6%
2. 158 Million Americans Now Listen to Podcasts Every Month
3. Podcasts Take 20% of Ad-Supported Audio, but Radio Still Rules at 64%
4. The Median Podcast Listener Is Now 39, a Decade Older Than in 2017
5. Digital Audio Advertising Passes $8 Billion as Video Podcasting Rises

Frequently Asked Questions

How big is U.S. podcast advertising in 2025? U.S. podcast advertising revenue was $2.862 billion in 2025, up 17.6% year over year, per the IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report (reported revenue).

How fast is podcast ad revenue growing? It grew 17.6% in 2025 and 26.4% in 2024, after a slower 5.5% in 2023 (IAB, reported revenue).

How many Americans listen to podcasts? 55% of Americans 12+, about 158 million people, listened monthly in early 2025, rising to 58% in the 2026 Infinite Dial survey (Edison Research, survey).

How many people listen weekly? The weekly U.S. podcast audience was 40% in 2025 and 45% in 2026, up from 15% in 2017 (Edison Research, survey).

How does podcast reach compare with radio? By ad-supported audio time in Q3 2025, AM/FM radio held 64% and podcasts held 20% (Edison Share of Ear, survey).

What is the median age of podcast listeners? The median U.S. podcast audience age was 39 in Q3 2025, up from 29 in 2017 (Edison Share of Ear, survey).

How large is digital audio advertising overall? U.S. digital audio ad revenue was $8.4 billion in 2025, up 10.2% from $7.6 billion in 2024 (IAB/PwC, reported revenue).

What share of digital audio revenue is podcasting? Podcast revenue ($2.862 billion) was about 34% of digital audio revenue ($8.4 billion) in 2025 (derived from IAB/PwC).

What does eMarketer forecast for podcast spending? eMarketer forecast $2.51 billion in U.S. podcast ad spending for 2025 and more than $3 billion by 2028 (forecast, different methodology from IAB).

How big is programmatic in digital audio? U.S. programmatic digital audio ad spend was forecast at $2.26 billion in 2025, up 18% year over year and about 30% of digital audio spend (eMarketer, forecast).