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Trends and data | Advertising

UK PODCAST ADVERTISING IN 2026: WHAT THE DATA SHOWS

In brief

  • UK advertisers spent £90m on audio podcast ads in 2024, up 8% year on year, according to IAB UK. Video podcast ads are counted separately, inside digital video.
  • A 2026 study of 5,033 UK adults by Sounds Profitable and Sound Insights found that 43% listen to an ad-supported podcast every month, and that UK podcast advertising attracts about £0.18 per listener-hour, against £0.94 in the US.
  • Among 18–34s who use podcasts daily, 86% recalled a podcast ad from the past week, slightly ahead of the 83% who recalled broadcast TV advertising.
  • YouTube (29%) has overtaken Spotify (28%) as the service UK weekly podcast consumers use most, according to Edison Research at SSRS, and 10% now consume podcasts most often on a smart TV.
  • RAJAR's MIDAS Summer 2026 survey puts weekly podcast reach at 26% of UK adults, with 106 million hours of listening a week. Word of mouth (27%) and social media (22%) are the top ways listeners find new shows.

How big is the UK podcast ad market?

IAB UK's Digital Adspend report, the industry's official measure of UK digital advertising, put UK podcast advertising at £90m in 2024. That was growth of 8% year on year, slower than the 23% recorded in 2023. The £90m covers audio podcast ads only: video podcast ads sit within the video display category, which grew 20% to £8.3bn in 2024.

Since then IAB UK has changed its methodology, and its headline announcements for 2025 and the first half of 2026 do not quote a separate podcast figure. They do show how quickly the wider market, and video in particular, is moving:

  • 2025: UK digital ad spend reached £40.5bn, up 10%. Video rose 20% to £9.3bn and now accounts for 23% of all digital ad spend. IAB UK forecast growth of 10.3% to £44.7bn in 2026.
  • First half of 2026: spend reached £21.2bn, up 13% year on year. Video grew 18% to £5.1bn, with a third of that going to TV+ (broadcasters, streamers and connected TV). Programmatic buying accounted for 81% of all digital spend, and mediasense forecasts around 12% growth for 2026 as a whole.

For podcasters, the direction matters as much as the totals: more money is flowing into video, and more of it is being bought across screens, including the TV.

Listeners notice the ads

The 2026 UK Advertising Landscape Study, from Sounds Profitable in partnership with Sound Insights, surveyed 5,033 UK adults aged 18+ in February 2026, weighted to census, and compared podcasts with more than 20 other ad-supported platforms. Its headline findings:

  • 43% of British adults listen to an ad-supported podcast every month, and 56% of those tune in daily or almost daily.
  • 79% of daily podcast users recalled hearing a podcast ad in the past week, with almost identical recall among men (79%) and women (80%).
  • Among 18–34s, podcast ad recall was 86%, above the 83% who recalled broadcast TV advertising.
  • The podcast ad audience over-indexes on higher household incomes: nearly twice the average at £60,000+, 2.5 times at £80,000+ and three times at £120,000+.
  • Women converted at higher rates than men on every response measured, including visiting a brand's website after hearing an ad (34% of women against 27% of men).

A pricing gap with the US

The same study points to a gap between audience and spend. By its estimate, UK podcast advertising receives about £0.18 of ad investment per listener-hour, compared with £0.94 in the US: a 5.2 times difference. Ben Robins of Sound Insights, writing up the study, argues that the gap is likely to narrow as measurement improves and more brands report results. "The audience agencies are spending enormous budgets to reach on television is recalling podcast advertising at a higher rate than they are recalling television advertising," he writes.

Advertisers are paying more per listen

Acast, which describes itself as the world's largest pure-play podcast company, reported record quarterly net sales of SEK 775.6m for April to June 2026, up 28% year on year (29% organic). Its Europe segment grew 25% to SEK 398.3m. Listens and views (with views currently counted on HLS only) rose just 2%, but average revenue per listen or view rose 26% to SEK 0.69, which Acast linked to strong advertiser demand for high-value podcast inventory.

Video is part of that story. In May 2026 Acast launched the first video advertising campaigns on Apple Podcasts, and by the time of its Q2 report it had more than 180 shows enabled for video on Apple Podcasts, with over 1,000 episodes published. It also said it expects to start including YouTube in its reported audience numbers by its Q3 report.

YouTube is now the UK's most-used podcast service

The UK Podcast Consumer 2026, from Edison Research at SSRS (published 16 July 2026), is based on surveys of at least 2,000 UK weekly podcast consumers aged 15+ each quarter. Its Q1 2026 findings:

  • YouTube 29%, Spotify 28%: YouTube passed Spotify as the service people use most for podcasts for the first time on record. BBC Sounds is on 15% and Apple Podcasts on 10%.
  • Video is mainstream, audio still leads: 72% of UK weekly podcast consumers actively watch video podcasts, up from 58% in 2023, while 87% listen to audio-only podcasts.
  • The TV screen is growing: 10% consume podcasts most often on a smart TV, up from 4% in 2023, close to the 14% who use a computer.
  • The top is getting bigger, and so is the middle: the top 29 shows now reach half of UK weekly podcast consumers, against 43 shows in 2023. The UK's 67th-biggest show reaches 139,000 people a week, up from 75,000 in 2023.
  • UK shows travel: the top 10 UK-based podcasts in the US reach 3.5 million Americans aged 13+ each week.
  • AI has limits: 66% approve of AI being used for research, but 85% disapprove of an AI host, and 72% see AI as a threat to the credibility of podcasts.

How UK listeners find new podcasts

RAJAR's MIDAS Summer 2026 survey (fieldwork in June 2026, 1,648 adults aged 15+ keeping a seven-day diary) gives a closer look at listening habits:

  • 26% of UK adults listen to podcasts in an average week, for around 6.9 hours each, adding up to 106 million hours a week. Podcasts account for 6% of all audio listening hours.
  • 87% of podcast listening hours are spent listening alone, and 69% of listening is via smartphone apps.
  • 83% of podcast listeners say they listen to or view all, or almost all, of each episode, and 23% also say they watch podcasts weekly.
  • Weekday podcast listening peaks between 8.30am and 9am.

When asked how they discover podcasts, listeners named:

  • word of mouth from friends and family: 27%
  • social media: 22%
  • suggestions from a podcast player or chart: 18%
  • radio: 18%
  • YouTube: 15%
  • other podcasts: 13%
  • TV, and websites or blogs: 5% each
  • newspapers: 4%
  • outside advertising: 1%

More growth forecast

On 1 October 2026 Radiocentre published forecasts, led by media consultant Mathew Horsman, suggesting total commercial audio listening will be around 20% higher in ten years' time, with commercial podcast listening hours effectively doubling. Separate revenue forecasts from Enders Analysis suggest total audio advertising, including radio, podcasts and streaming, will also grow over the decade.

What this means for brands and creators in London

  • Plan for audio and video together. Most UK listeners still listen to audio, but YouTube is now the most-used podcast service and smart TVs are growing fast. One well-shot recording can serve both.
  • Make every episode easy to share. Word of mouth and social media are the top discovery routes, so short clips and trailers matter alongside the full episode.
  • Earn the ad break. Recall and trust are built on the host's relationship with listeners, so production quality and a consistent format count.
  • Think beyond the UK. UK-based shows can reach large US audiences, which widens the opportunity for sponsors.

London Podcasts, a Fitzrovia Post company, has 14 purpose-built recording studios at Academic House, 24–28 Oval Road, London NW1 7DJ. Four are permanently configured for video podcasts, and every podcast studio booking includes an experienced engineer. Audio-only sessions start from £200 per hour + VAT and video podcast sessions from £230 per hour + VAT, with a one-hour minimum. Finished edits, trailers and social cuts are available, and complete production starts from £1,250 + VAT per episode.

Book online at londonpodcasts.co.uk/book, email bookings@londonpodcasts.co.uk or call 020 7209 3474.

FAQ

How much is spent on podcast advertising in the UK?
IAB UK's Digital Adspend report put UK podcast advertising at £90m in 2024, up 8% year on year. That figure covers audio podcast ads only; video podcast ads are counted within digital video, which grew 20% to £8.3bn in 2024.

Do people remember podcast ads?
In the 2026 UK Advertising Landscape Study by Sounds Profitable and Sound Insights, 79% of daily UK podcast users recalled hearing a podcast ad in the past week. Among 18–34s the figure was 86%, above the 83% who recalled broadcast TV advertising.

Which platform do UK listeners use most for podcasts?
YouTube. In Edison Research at SSRS's The UK Podcast Consumer 2026, 29% of UK weekly podcast consumers aged 15+ said they use YouTube most, ahead of Spotify (28%), BBC Sounds (15%) and Apple Podcasts (10%).

How do people in the UK discover new podcasts?
According to RAJAR's MIDAS Summer 2026 survey, the top routes are word of mouth from friends and family (27%), social media (22%), suggestions from a podcast player or chart (18%), radio (18%) and YouTube (15%).

How much does it cost to record a podcast at London Podcasts?
Audio-only sessions start from £200 per hour + VAT and video podcast sessions from £230 per hour + VAT, with an engineer included and a one-hour minimum. Complete production starts from £1,250 + VAT per episode. Book at londonpodcasts.co.uk/book or call 020 7209 3474.

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