Study Finds Audio Podcast Ads Outperform YouTube Video

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, January 5, 2026 | 2:28pm CT

Cumulus Media | Westwood One

A new podcast sales effectiveness study from Oxford Road and Podscribe finds that audio podcast ads significantly outperform YouTube podcast video ads in driving consumer purchases, reinforcing a growing body of research showing audio's advantage in attention, engagement, and return on investment.

The findings are highlighted in this week's Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog, which aggregates results from multiple industry and academic studies examining how audiences engage with audio versus video advertising.

According to the Oxford Road/Podscribe study, YouTube podcast views are 18% to 25% less effective at driving purchases than audio podcast ads. The research analyzed more than 1,000 podcast campaigns across over 100 brands, making it one of the most comprehensive sales attribution studies conducted in the podcast sector to date.

The conclusion was stark: advertisers spending $1 million on YouTube podcast impressions could be losing up to $250,000 in conversion value compared with equivalent investment in audio podcast campaigns.

Researchers cited three primary factors behind audio's performance edge: audio listeners tend to seek out content intentionally, creating stronger host trust; audio-first environments foster more focused attention on host-read ads; and video platforms such as YouTube often encourage passive, multitasking behavior that dilutes ad impact.

Additional studies cited in the blog support those conclusions. Research published by Nature Research found that listeners of the Game of Thrones audiobook exhibited stronger physiological engagement than viewers of the television series, suggesting audio narratives require more active cognitive and emotional participation than video.

Attentiveness measurement firm Adelaide reported that audio platforms deliver attentiveness levels approaching those of linear television, despite lacking visual elements. Its data shows podcasts achieve 94% of TV's attentiveness, while AM/FM radio delivers 85% at roughly one-quarter the cost.

Similarly, a major study by Lumen, commissioned by Dentsu, found audio ads outperform video for both attention and brand recall, challenging long-held assumptions about the superiority of sight-and-motion advertising.

Brand recall research from DVJ Insights further underscores audio's role, showing that increasing audio brand mentions in TV ads dramatically boosts recall, far more than repeated visual logo exposure.

Sales impact data from WPP Media and Radiocentre adds a financial dimension to the findings. Their analysis shows digital audio tied for the highest short-term ROI across media channels, outperforming the all-media average by 44%, while broadcast radio ranked second at 23% above average.

Collectively, the research points to a consistent conclusion: audio advertising not only commands attention but converts that attention into measurable sales results more effectively than video-based podcast advertising.

Read the entire blog post here.