Study: Podcast Ads Reach Elusive Streaming Viewers

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, August 10, 2026 | 11:20am CT

Cumulus Media | Westwood One

Podcast advertising could provide marketers with an effective way to reach consumers who increasingly spend their video viewing time on advertising-free streaming services, according to the latest Podcast Download study from Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights.

The Spring 2026 study, conducted by Quantilope in April among 600 weekly podcast consumers, found a significant overlap between podcast audiences and users of ad-free video streaming platforms. The findings are examined in a new Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group blog by Pierre Bouvard.

According to the study, 97% of weekly podcast consumers used a video streaming service during the previous month, while 88% used an ad-free streaming service.

Podcast listeners are also more likely to be cord cutters. One-third of weekly podcast consumers said they do not subscribe to any pay-TV provider.

The study found weekly podcast consumers spend 39% of their video viewing time with ad-free platforms and content. By comparison, Nielsen data indicates ad-free content accounts for 27% of overall U.S. television viewing time. That means weekly podcast listeners devote 44% more of their viewing time to ad-free content than the average American.

Cumulus Media says the results illustrate how podcast advertising can help marketers reach desirable consumers who are increasingly difficult to reach through traditional television or ad-supported streaming. The study found 20% of weekly podcast consumers are not reached by TV streaming service advertising in an average week.

The relationship becomes stronger among the heaviest podcast users. Consumers listening to podcasts six or more hours per week are 14% more likely than weekly podcast consumers overall to be heavy users of ad-free video streaming. Heavy podcast listeners average seven hours with ad-free streaming services, compared with 6.4 hours among weekly podcast consumers overall.

Cumulus Media also suggests streaming companies themselves could benefit from using podcast advertising to promote programming, pointing specifically to Netflix and declining audiences for returning seasons of several series.

Citing Bloomberg data, the blog notes that second seasons of "Running Point" and "The Four Seasons" experienced 50% audience declines, while "Beef" fell 70%. "The Night Agent" lost 50% of its audience for its second season and another 35% for its third, while the second season of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" declined more than 60% during its first week.

The blog argues that lack of awareness could be contributing to the declines and that podcast advertising could help streaming services generate interest in returning programs.

Cumulus Media also points to Nielsen's May 2026 Gauge report, which gave Netflix an 8% share of television viewing. With 92% of viewing occurring elsewhere, the company argues Netflix cannot depend solely on promotion within its own platform to generate awareness for new and returning programs.

The Spring 2026 report is the 16th edition of the Podcast Download research series from Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights.

Read the full blog post here.