Be The First to Hear What We Learn
The Podcast Study 2026 will uncover new insights into how audiences discover, choose, watch, listen to and build relationships with podcasts.
Register below for our upcoming free webinars where Point-To-Point Marketing and Strategic Solutions Research will share the findings and, more importantly, what they mean for growing podcast audiences.
Strategic Solutions Research and Point-To-Point Marketing will unveil the first findings of the The Podcast Study 2026 at the Sounds Profitable Business Summit in New York Tuesday September 15th. Registration is now open for four free webinars to explore the data in depth. Sign up below.
The Podcast Study 2026 surveyed 1,205 podcast consumers in a nationally representative study designed to examine podcast consumption, advertising effectiveness, monetization, discovery, loyalty, and the evolving relationship between hosts and audiences. Crooked Media, NPR, and PRX are co-sponsors of the research.
This study has actionable findings for everyone from C-Suite executives of major podcast platforms to the creator who produces a single podcast with 100 fans. This research gives an action plan that podcasters can take home and implement right away.
"The Podcast Study" uncovers the real-life motivations behind why people press play, share, or skip. In an industry overflowing with content but starving for time and attention, this study gets to the heart of the matter: What actually moves the needle for podcast consumption?
Six findings from 1,205 podcast consumers,
and one thread that connects them all
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What advertisers are really buying
Sponsors aren't buying the show. What ARE they buying?
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The favorite-podcast lock-in
Where a listener's time actually goes, and it isn't spread around.
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What a host read does that a spot can't
Notice. Remember. Trust. Buy.
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Ad load is rising, how much is too much?
What listeners say they'll tolerate, and how they cope.
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What listeners will actually pay for
And the price point where interest falls off a cliff.
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The assets nobody is monetizing yet
We'll outline ways your fans WANT to engage, which you can monetize.
THE THREAD
Every finding in this study points back to the same asset:
the relationship between a host and their audience.
“The Podcast Study” challenges assumptions, inspires innovation, and arms podcast creators, networks, and advertisers with the intelligence they need to grow—not just louder, but smarter.