Podcasting’s U.S. audience is holding steady while the way people consume programs continues to change, according to Sounds Profitable’s Podcast Landscape 2026, released October 1.
The census-weighted survey of 5,473 U.S. adults, conducted in August, found that 55% consumed a podcast during the previous month and 39% during the previous week. Those measures were essentially unchanged from 2025.
Within the podcast audience, the share watching a video podcast during the previous week increased from 40% to 44%. The video percentage describes podcast consumers, not all U.S. adults.
The study also found that 40% of podcast consumers at least occasionally consume programs with other people, compared with 37% previously. Meanwhile, the share identifying a purpose-built podcast application as their most-used platform declined from 19% to 15%.
These findings suggest that publishers are competing for attention within an established audience while presentation, devices and distribution continue to shift. They do not establish that video automatically improves a program’s profitability.
The RNN question: Does adding video produce more loyal viewers and stronger advertising results—or simply another production obligation?
For independent producers, comparing completion, repeat consumption and sponsor response across audio and video versions would provide a more useful answer than counting views alone.