Most Podcast Fans Watch and Listen. Very Few Only Watch
By Mark Santos
Mark Studios
Founder
Talk hosts keep hearing that podcasting has turned into a video business: put cameras in the studio or get left behind. The newest audience numbers say something more useful. The people who consume podcasts every week now do both, and the shows they follow have to work with the screen on and with the screen off.
Video and audio run level. In the first quarter of 2026, 78% of U.S. weekly podcast consumers watched podcasts with video and 80% listened to audio-only podcasts, according to Edison Research’s The Podcast Consumer 2026. Those are mostly the same people, not two camps. In Edison’s Q3 2025 reading, video had come out ahead for the first time, 82% to 78%. By Q1 2026, audio was back in front by two points.
Almost nobody only watches. In Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights’ Podcast Download, Spring 2026, only 8% of weekly podcast consumers said they only watch podcasts, while 92% said they listen. The screen does matter more than it used to: 49% now prefer to actively watch when video is available, up from 30% in April 2022. But 30% prefer to have the video playing in the background while they listen. For a lot of the audience, the picture is company, and the audio still carries the show.
YouTube is where they go. YouTube is the platform weekly podcast consumers use most. Edison’s Q1 2026 data puts it at 37%, and the Cumulus and Signal Hill survey at 44%, against 21% and 14% for Spotify. YouTube says more than 1 billion people a month watch podcasts there. More of that viewing is happening on the living room set: viewers watched more than 700 million hours of podcasts on YouTube’s living-room devices in October 2025, up from 400 million a year earlier, according to YouTube. Those are the company’s own figures.
The biggest shows publish one episode twice. We took Apple’s top 100 U.S. podcasts, from the chart of October 30, 2026, and checked each show’s latest episodes against YouTube. Seventy-four of the 100 post full episodes there. The video goes up a median of 1.1 hours from the audio release, and 67 of those 74 shows post both within a day. Only one show in the top 100 posted clips without full episodes.
Two details stood out. For 14 of the 74 shows, most episodes carried a different title on YouTube than in the podcast feed: a numbered feed title such as “1074. Andy & DJ CTI” turned into a question or a hook. And 30 of the 100 feeds had no YouTube link anywhere in the show or episode notes, so a listener in a podcast app gets no pointer to the video version.
What that means for a talk show
Make it work blind. With 92% saying they listen, assume much of your audience hears the episode without watching it. If a segment depends on something on screen, describe it out loud, the way radio always has.
Post the full episode, not only clips. Among the top 100, full episodes were the norm, and clips alone were the rare exception.
Ship both versions the same day. Most of the top shows put audio and video up within a day of each other, a median of 1.1 hours apart. A video that lands a week later is a rerun to the people who already heard it.
Title for each place. The feed title serves people who already know the show. The YouTube title has to make a stranger click.
Point listeners to the video. Put the channel link in the show notes of every episode. Almost a third of the top 100 feeds have no YouTube link at all.
What these numbers don’t show
The surveys measure different people. Edison Podcast Metrics interviews about 20,000 U.S. weekly podcast consumers age 13 and older a year; the Cumulus and Signal Hill April 2026 wave asked 600. That is why YouTube’s share comes out at 37% in one and 44% in the other, so quote each figure with its source. YouTube’s audience numbers are its own and aren’t independently audited. Our check covers the 100 biggest shows, not the long tail: the Podcast Index listed 4,725,818 podcast feeds on September 16, 2026, and only about 10% had published an episode in the previous 90 days. Even the money is counted the old way. IAB and PwC put U.S. podcast ad revenue at $2.86 billion in 2025, up 17.6%, under an audio-based definition that may miss ad money from video podcasts on video platforms. And none of this measures a station’s own audience. Your P1s may not behave like the weekly podcast audience at large, and your own downloads and YouTube analytics are the test that counts.
Disclosure: I run a video studio that edits podcast video, among other work.
Mark Santos is the founder of Mark Studios, a video studio in Palm Beach County, Florida, that edits video podcasts and YouTube video for shows and businesses across the U.S. He has edited video since he was 10, and Mark Studios has completed more than 8,000 orders for 4,500+ clients. Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
Gen Z now consumes podcasts monthly, positioning the generation to become podcasting’s largest audience; 4) 57% of Americans both watch and listen to podcasts, underscoring the rise of the creator ecosystem across audio and video; 5) And while listeners embrace AI for behind-the-scenes production, they remain wary of AI replacing the human voice and connection at the heart of podcasting. Audacy says the takeaway from this report is that podcast advertising is shifting from buying reach to buying influence – with trust, expertise and community becoming the real currency. 
Other key findings include: Sports content acts as a unique bridge between listening and watching experiences, drawing the closest parity between listeners and viewers across top genres; Format choice signals entirely distinct consumer mindsets: the highly structured, utility-driven “Pragmatic Listener” versus the entertainment-seeking, visually focused “Interactive Watcher.”; and Conversion mechanics differ by format, with audio consumers acting as direct digital responders and video watchers acting as high-intent brand translators and social amplifiers. 
owned-and-operated digital inventory both locally and nationally, including digital, audio, podcasts and creator-led content, creating a more unified path for advertisers to activate multi-platform campaigns at scale. iHeartMedia chief business officer Lisa Coffey comments, “Advertisers are increasingly looking for media solutions that combine scale, intelligence and simplicity across channels. By combining Amazon Ads’ shopping insights and advertising technology with iHeart’s audio leadership, we’re creating a more seamless, data-informed way for brands to create more effective campaigns across sound and sight.”
Mike Hulvey says, “Sabina’s leadership experience, industry knowledge and understanding of broadcasters and the local communities which they serve make her an outstanding addition to the RAB team. Her passion for helping media organizations grow and evolve will further strengthen the support, education and resources RAB provides to its members.” Widmann comments, “I’m excited to join RAB during such an important time for the industry. Radio and audio continue to play a vital role for our communities and advertisers. I look forward to working with RAB’s members and team to help provide meaningful resources, education and support that help broadcasters navigate continued change and growth.”
program “The Meidas Touch” is #1, followed by Joe Rogan’s comedy podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” at #2. Rising to #3 in February was Goalhanger’s history show “The Rest is History.” Interestingly, the overwhelming majority of “The Meidas Touch” consumption is via video and video clips, while “The Rest is History” consumption is primarily audio only. Notable changes from the January ranking include Candace Owens’ “Candace” rising four places to #6, Red Seat Ventures’ “The Tucker Carlson Show” climbing five places to #10, and DailyWire’s “The Ben Shapiro Show” falling two places to #15. 
radio (including AM/FM streams), the historic spoken-word listening leader. Edison adds, “Spoken-word listening time among Americans 13-34 is dominated by podcasts, with 53% of time being spent with that specific platform, versus 23% of time going to AM/FM radio. Radio does rebound among 35–54-year-olds but still falls short with 47% of their spoken-word listening time going to podcasts and 35% going to AM/FM radio. Our story completely changes among Americans ages 55+, who spend the majority of their spoken-word listening time with AM/FM radio, at 55%, and less than one-quarter of their time with podcasts at 22%. The dominance of podcast listening among younger age cohorts can certainly be attributed to their preference for on-demand content that also includes visual elements, qualities specific to podcasts and not radio. AM/FM radio carries a wide variety of spoken-word offerings, ranging from sports play-by-play and sports talk, NPR programming, news and entertainment talk shows, to political talk.”
year, generative AI adoption among American consumers.” Some of the key findings include that online audio consumption has hit an all-time high: 1) 81% of Americans age 12+ (233 million) listened to online audio in the last month, and 76% (219 million) listened in the last week; 2) Americans age 55+ are driving the most recent increases. Monthly online audio listening among this group jumped from 52% in 2024 to 70% in 2026, a gain of nearly 20 percentage points in just two years; 3) 80% of Americans age 12+ (230 million) have ever listened to or watched a podcast, an all-time high; and 4) 58% of Americans age 12+ (167 million) have consumed a podcast in the last month, also an all-time high. 
episodes viewed and streamed on YouTube and Spotify; and Podcast video clips played on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Under this new format, Podtrac’s Multi-Channel Podcast Ranking for December 2025 ranks “The Meidas Touch Podcast” #1, followed by “The Joe Rogan Experience” at #2, and “The Rest is History” at #3. Other news/talk media related shows of note include: “The Tucker Carlson Show” at #12, and “The Ben Shapiro Show” at #17. 
their local market. Bonneville says, “The platform brings together Arizona Sports, Seattle Sports, Denver Sports, Sactown Sports, and KSL Sports in Salt Lake City, delivering more than 63 hours of live sports programming every day across audio, video, digital, and social channels.” Bonneville president and CEO Tanya Vea adds, “Bonneville Sports Network gives advertisers both flexibility and scale. Our network reaches fans wherever and whenever they engage with sports, across every platform. Advertisers can now leverage that strength in a way that aligns with their goals, whether they’re pursuing national reach or meaningful local impact.”
The most common mistake podcasters make is assuming the microphone alone creates an audience. Too many would-be hosts hit Record without a clear strategy for WHY they’re doing a show, WHO it’s for, and what makes it DIFFERENT from millions of other podcasts.
exploring the audio strategies behind real business success to provide behind-the-scenes insights, creative inspiration, and tips from brands that are scaling with sound. Topics being addressed include: 1) What makes audio such an effective channel for performance and brand-building. 2) How local advertisers are using radio to stand out and win more wallet share. 3) Why podcast hosts have become some of the most trusted voices in advertising. And 4) Lessons learned: real-world advice from brands turning listeners into loyal customers. 
marketers, not because it’s ineffective, but because it’s quietly efficient.” He adds, “Low levels of variability and the lack of granular data at the campaign and market levels can cloud the results. Smaller campaign investments can also fly under the radar, making it harder for models to detect Audio’s true impact.” Borelli says Audacy is working with other audio companies and with partners like the RAB and IAB to provide more granular data and to standardize model inputs. “We’re running model audits and retroactive studies to properly demonstrate Audio’s impact including replacing media plan data with ‘as-run’ actuals because as-run data provides significantly more variation, which stimulates the models to more effectively identify radio’s correlation with sales results.” 
If you saved back issues from when TALKERS was a print tabloid, dig-down about 20 years into the stack. A couple times a year beginning then, I was reporting from conferences then called The Podcast and New Media Expo, which later evolved into NMX and BlogWorld and other incarnations.
manager Liz Mayer says, “There is no denying that YouTube is playing an important role in the podcast ecosystem, especially when it comes to discovering new podcasts. However, over half of weekly podcast consumers indicate they consume via audio primarily. So, while the new video capabilities are exciting and need to be focused on, the industry can’t forget that it’s what consumers are hearing that is most important.” Highlights from the report include: 1) Audio remains the primary mode of podcast consumption (58%) despite growing video options; 2) YouTube is the leading podcast platform, yet it is not a walled garden as consumers listen to podcasts across multiple platforms; 3) Podcast discovery: YouTube is the place to be found; 44% of new podcast audiences started listening on YouTube; 4) Downloads and listens underestimate the actual audience: The current download impression model fails to account for co-listening; and 5) Why podcast advertising works so well: Podcasts hosts are three times more influential than social media influencers. 
TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison introduced the term in the 1990s, inviting us to think-beyond the real-time audio we were sending up those towers. What he described seemed conceptual, even futuristic, back then, when we were still logging-onto AOL via dial-up (screech).
listening to audio daily, compared with 3 hours and 50 minutes among the non-Black population – over 30 minutes more per day. “This listening includes music as well as spoken-word content, such as podcasts and talk radio. We often thank creators for the audio masterpieces that captivate us, which are all very much deserved. Today, we also thank Black consumers for fueling the success of musicians, podcasters, and radio hosts.” 
more recognition as a (legacy) medium that’s constantly innovating and evolving to enhance the consumer experience and the advertiser opportunity. At the heart of Audio lives great storytelling. From the beginning of humankind to today’s best advertising, storytelling is the single most effective tool for sharing information and knowledge – all while entertaining, educating and yes, selling. Storytelling is a constant, but the way stories are told is shifting, driven by new technologies and approaches that allow brands to create more emotional connection, deliver more personalized experiences and scale their campaigns for maximum impact. And no medium is better equipped to do this than audio.” 
We – inside-the-box – live and breathe radio. Listeners have their hands full just living and breathing. Their day is time crunched and financially challenging, and we want to be its soundtrack.
Almost everything I know about pricing strategy I learned from domestic airlines. Guess what? Airlines are at it again and I hope you are watching and learning.
be able to alter the course of established radio stations and the marketplace of ideas before the 2024 election or even soon thereafter. Harrison told “America at Night” host Rich Valdés last night (5/22) that radio is far too idiosyncratic an industry – already run by too many people who don’t understand how it really operates – for someone (who also doesn’t really have first-hand experience in the field) to just step in and make drastic alterations to entrenched stations, formats, audiences and sponsors just to make a political statement. Harrison states, “There are more 
expedient uses of his money if that is his main purpose. After all, not all Audacy stations are conservative news/talkers… many are music, sports and a variety of formats. How inefficient such a move would be!” Harrison went on to say that radio is still an extremely powerful and potentially lucrative medium if only its present owners and operators believed in it and invested in its programming and marketing. He encouraged radio broadcasters to understand and believe in the “esthetic of ‘radio’ and not be so anxious to bail out into the utilitarian term ‘audio.’” Harrison and Valdés tied the discussion into the current news about the AM for Every Vehicle Act currently making its way through Congress stating that radio is still a lifeline for service to the community as a place for information, education, and entertainment and that eliminating it from automobile dashboards would be about “five to 10 years premature.”