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
For 100 years, radio programmers have tried to keep listeners listening longer. “Coming up next…”
U.S. weekly podcast consumers who say it’s the platform they use most often to consume podcasts. Edison says, “Podcast content on YouTube has dramatically changed the entire ecosystem and continues to gain ground as a destination for podcast consumption. Spotify ranks second, with 17% of weekly podcast consumers saying that it is the platform they use most often for podcasts. Apple Podcasts follows at 9%, remaining ahead of many other podcast platforms but accounting for a smaller percentage than in the past.”
9.4 million views, while TikTok delivered nearly 1.4 million. GETTR Live added 545,800 views, X generated 644,500 impressions, and YouTube and Rumble contributed nearly 250,000 additional views. The company goes on to say its core broadcast and streaming operations remained strong, reaching more than 220,000 terrestrial radio listeners while producing 240,140 internet radio and JFMN.TV streaming sessions. JFMN’s mobile apps generated another 17,535 sessions. JFMN co-founder John Fredericks adds, “This is an absolutely phenomenal milestone for our company. We built JFMN from the ground up – without the corporate media establishment, without billionaire gatekeepers, without Wall Street gangster-banksters and without compromising what we believe. More than 12.7 million in monthly reach proves that Americans are hungry for bold, independent media that respects its audience and tells the truth.”
My father recently called my attention to something hiding in plain sight. He was watching YouTube and noticed ads for StreamYard, Riverside, Sprizzy and other companies selling tools and services to people who want to produce, distribute, or promote their own media. “They are advertising on consumer venues!” he told me. That was the part that caught his attention.
Jackson Berquette have been hosting the “After The Morning After” live at 11:00 am on Hubbard Media’s KPNT-HD2 and streaming on YouTube since April. Iggy tells TALKERS that after getting laid off in the fall of 2024, he wasn’t sure he wanted to get back into radio but decided to give it a go when Hubbard proposed the new show and he’s glad he did. He says, “It has been so much fun, and the download numbers are outstanding.” The show follows “The Morning After” that airs from 7:00 am to 10:00 am. 
Entertainment, it debuts on Wednesday (7/22) on YouTube and other podcast platforms. Carton comments, “There’s nothing better than swapping takes with Wayne on sports, pop culture and a whole host of other topics. ‘The Joint Venture Show’ gives us a great excuse to keep doing what we’ve been doing for years, while also having some famous friends stop by and chop it up with us. There’s no better job in the world.” 
YouTube less than 20 minutes after the shots were fired with analysis and perspective including multiple videos from different angles, as well as his own experiences over the years attending D.C. events. Tradup adds, “I am so very proud of our Salem news professionals at SRN News and TOWNHALL.com who quickly and concisely kept our audiences up-to-the-minute as this unprecedented drama unfolded.”
agencies can use AM/FM radio in their upcoming media plans. Some key points include:1) AM/FM radio has a 64% share of ad-supported audio among registered voters; 2) AM/FM radio has substantial shares (62% to 65%) among Independents, Republicans, and Democrats: 3) Marketers and media agencies significantly underestimate AM/FM radio listening shares and dramatically overestimate Spotify and Pandora audiences; and 4) Digital audio only reaches a third of Americans. With AM/FM radio, reach soars to 73%. 
during an informal conversation with his longtime friend, music industry publicist Anne Leighton on her YouTube program, “The Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview.” Harrison talks about the evolution of radio and its influence on popular culture through more than a half century of 
broadcasting adventures including his present-day role as a member of the classic rock band, Gunhill Road. Harrison states, “Anne is such a unique player in this business – a longtime proponent of music discovery – she has such a respect for the artists and their fans. Her podcast is SO refreshingly grassroots. It was a remarkable, fun experience talking with her about all that cool stuff.” Fans of music and radio history should not miss this. 
clarity, and consistency, earning the respect of audiences, peers, and industry leaders alike. He brings decades of experience across writing, podcasts, broadcast, and live events, along with a proven record of leadership, audience growth, and editorial excellence to one of the nation’s most influential conservative platforms. O’Connor is known for his deep understanding of the political and cultural landscape. His career spans multiple media formats, and he has built a large, loyal national audience by combining sharp analysis, principled conservatism, and engaging conversations.” O’Connor has been writing for Townhall and HotAir since 2016. His daily podcast, LARRY, is streamed at 12:00 noon ET on Townhall.com and YouTube. O’Connor comments, “Townhall has been a cornerstone of the conservative movement for decades, and I’m incredibly honored and excited to take on the role of editor. This is a platform with a powerful legacy, an outstanding team of contributors, and a loyal audience that cares deeply about ideas, culture, and the future of our country. I’m eager to build on that foundation, elevate strong conservative voices, and help Townhall continue to inform, challenge, and inspire readers every day.”
sports talk show just a couple of weeks after being ousted from WFAN due to the return of Craig Carton to that station’s afternoon daypart. Tierney and co-host Sal Licata were let go on December 19. Tierney’s new show “BT Unleashed” is streamed on YouTube and other platforms. Tierney tells the Brooklyn Reporter, “I thought it was a pretty easy decision. I felt the iron was hot. I certainly felt a desire for more of my work and I wanted to get right back out there. People understand that it was an abrupt ending at the FAN and that this is a pretty dramatic transformation.” 
Network TV often delivers Nielsen hashmarks. No viewers! The no numbers reports started coming in over 20 years ago and they met with silence. Often on Holiday nights, long weekends, NBC, CBS, ABC or FOX delivered no measurable audience. Simultaneously, online video stars were attracting millions of views. In 2007, the media world witnessed the audience shift from broadcast TV to online video. In the following years, media buyers made the definition of a bad investment: Between the time a buy was placed on network TV to the day of air, the audience diminished. Every month. Year after year.
show, “Hoops Talk.” Sliwa will provide expert insight, analysis and commentary across AM 570 LA SPORTS content throughout the NBA season, including featured segments available on the iHeartRadio app. Sliwa previously served on the Lakers Radio broadcast in pre-game, halftime, and post-game coverage. KLAC program director Brian Long says, “Allen is one of the premier voices covering the Lakers. With the excitement surrounding the team this season, his perspective and passion will be a great addition to our coverage and valuable voice for Lakers fans in Southern California and across the country.”
streams) make up 34% of the daily audio time of U.S. consumers ages 13+. Looking at what makes up the other 66% of daily audio time it’s interesting to note that media platforms that didn’t exist (or were very new) 20 years ago make up a combined 54% of daily audio time. Those media platforms are streaming music (23%), YouTube (14%), podcasts (10%), and SiriusXM (7%). 
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. 
In the golden age of broadcasting, the rules were clear. If you edited the message, you owned the consequences. That was the tradeoff for editorial control. But today’s digital platforms – YouTube, X, TikTok, Instagram – have rewritten that deal. Broadcasters and those who operate within the FCC regulatory framework are paying the price.
“Brad vs. Everyone” is joining iHeartPodcasts. Polumbo’s podcast featured him covering “the most interesting and entertaining stories in politics and on the internet from a center-right, independent perspective.” He comments, “I’m thrilled to launch this partnership with Premiere Networks and iHeartPodcasts, and to work with their fantastic team to bring ‘Brad vs. Everyone’ to new audiences. It’s an honor to join a network with incredible talent and massive reach, and I look forward to the podcast reaching new heights!”