2026 came out of the gates strong for video podcasting, with a slew of announcements from shows and major streamers (some of whom are still working out what is or isn't a podcast*). Podcast apps also had news to share - Spotify opened video distribution to select third-party hosting providers and Apple announced advanced video functionality powered by HLS for select ad networks.
Omny was selected for both and will be expanding our existing video offerings to enterprise publishers, so I thought now would be a good time to write the third (and I’m sure hotly anticipated) instalment to my podcast video pontifications. Data-led pontifications, because we've also just released our 2025 U.S. Podcast Report which is packed full of video podcasting insights.
Today I'm going to dig into that data and share how I think creators, networks, and brands can take advantage of it in the year ahead. Let's dive in! But first, I couldn't resist:
We release this report every year but this is the first time we've included so much video data. I wholeheartedly recommend reading the entire report (I say that not just as someone gainfully employed by Triton) but the headline for me is that podcast consumption has clearly evolved into a multi-format behaviour, with audiences seamlessly shifting between listening and watching.
That said, it remains far from a video-first or video-only medium. As a passionate podcast listener, I don't see a world where the latter is ever true. There will always be audio-only podcasts and content that will be primarily audio-first. Those will be podcasts, potentially with video versions. And eventually, those video versions will need to be adjusted for video streaming platforms. To me, this is similar to how books can be converted to audiobooks, but ultimately are adapted and changed for TV or movies. I think at some point in the future, we will see that difference in podcasting also.
But I digress ... back to my data pontifications and why I'm saying that podcasting right now is far from video-first.
When pontificating, I’ve always found that it’s smart to begin by calling out the same things that James Cridland notices. When looking at the data in our report, James noted that “podcasts aren’t ‘video first’” and that's true. When consuming podcast content, the audience breaks down like this:
With just 7% of podcast consumers solely watching podcasts, those of us who are passionate podcast listeners should have lots to be happy about. It's worth noting though that our data also shows that newer podcast consumers are more likely to watch podcasts, while consumers who have been with the medium longer are more likely to listen.
YouTube continues to pull newer podcast audiences in, with content choices largely dictated by their algorithm. We need an entry point for true podcast listeners to watch podcasts, to see what their behaviour is. It's why I'm excited about Apple's video announcement and pending updates to their app, because we're suddenly putting video in front of the most tenured podcast audience in the world - an audience that is ears first but will now be able to be eyes on also.
Drilling into the watcher vs. listener podcast consumer, the data showed clear demographic splits (powered by Triton's Demos+ product for podcasting) by method of consumption. Watch-only skews younger and more male, while listen-only skews older, more female, and higher-income (which is not for nothing, if you're an advertiser).
We also dug into platform data. Spotify attracts a younger audience, YouTube skews more male, and Apple Podcasts reaches higher-income users.
The good news here is that video isn't just adding “more of the same audience.” It's adding incremental audience segments. As well as the importance of thinking about a different audience and how they want to consume audio or video if you're a creator, advertisers will also benefit from capturing both markets if they bear this in mind.
The new podcast consumers being pulled in by video are reshaping the market, helping niche categories expand (Kids & Family shows, for example, have especially high shares of new-to-podcast audiences) as well as creating new advertiser opportunities.
Brands need to know that the new audiences coming to podcasting continue to show strong buying intent in several categories including switching wireless providers, online shopping, and quick-service restaurants.
I wonder whether these audience characteristics are podcast specific and how they differ from consumers of traditional video streaming? The audience is different between platforms who distribute actual podcasts and video platforms who step into podcasting for the halo effect and are largely hunting for content that matches a genre their audience wants, instead of a specific medium. We can't overlook the value of a podcast audience (typically younger, more educated, more affluent, and more diverse) as these platforms enter the space, and where/how to best access them (another reason I'm excited to see what activating video on Apple Podcasts will do).
Our report also looked at how different podcast show genres behave differently in video - some are “watch-forward,” others “listen-forward”.
If you’re creating or advertising on podcasts, this table is a gold mine.
For creators and networks, my advice (once you've asked yourself if you can or need to step into video) is to build a “two-lane” show. Because 80% of the audience both listens and watches, you want to have a content strategy for both audio and video. Then watch the data and iterate your content offering accordingly.
For advertisers, start thinking about your video strategy and whether you want to expand into video ads or simply leverage a broader audience that video brings. You can start small, if you're an existing podcast advertiser. A video audience offers a way to integrate your logo or a still image into the ad, if you're not yet ready to do full video. You can also think about product placement opportunities.
My final thought – keep looking for opportunities where video drives incremental discovery, incremental audience segments, and incremental revenue—without compromising the audio product that built podcasting in the first place.
Happy podcasting.