34% of Podcast Consumers Are New
Sounds Profitable's latest research takes a closer look at who's consuming podcasts, how audiences are changing, and where they're watching and listening.
Podcast reach may be holding steady, but there's quite a bit happening behind those numbers.
According to Sounds Profitable’s The Podcast Landscape 2026 report, 34% of podcast consumers started listening or watching within the past year, up from 28% in 2025. That includes 11% who started consuming podcasts within just the past 30 days.
Conducted with Signal Hill Insights, the study surveyed 5,473 U.S. adults in August 2026.
Podcast reach has remained relatively steady since 2024, with 55% of U.S. adults consuming podcasts monthly and 39% tuning in weekly. But what is changing is how long people have been part of that audience.
These changes give brands fresh ears and a chance to become part of those new listening and viewing habits.
Where People Are Watching and Listening
Another notable finding from the Sounds Profitable study: 44% of podcast consumers watched a video podcast in the past week, compared with 40% in 2025.
As for platforms, YouTube remains the most widely used over the past year, with 63% of podcast consumers saying they've used it during that period. Spotify comes in second at 33%, followed by Netflix at 21%.
The research also offers insights into the demographics of those tuning in. Monthly podcast consumers tend to be younger than the general U.S. population and are more likely to have children at home.
For advertisers, the combination of new consumers, different viewing habits, and shifting audience demographics can help inform which shows and hosts are the right fit for their campaigns.
Sherry Del Rizzo
Sherry leads editorial at ADOPTER Media, translating the agency's campaign experience and podcast advertising expertise into education for the industry. Her job, in short: take what ADOPTER learns from running real campaigns and turn it into something worth reading.
