Podcast advertisements in Singapore outperform other digital media formats on consumer engagement, ad saturation, and brand consideration efficiency, according to new research from podcast company Acast. The findings come from a quantitative survey of 250 Singapore consumers conducted in November 2025 via research platform Attest, and form part of Acast’s “Podcast Pulse Singapore Edition” report.
Ad Saturation and Engagement
Audio podcasts ranked highest among all measured media types for light ad load, with 72% of Singapore consumers describing ads on audio podcasts as feeling “light or moderate.” Video podcasts followed at 67%, ahead of radio and TikTok tied at 66%, Facebook at 65%, cable TV at 60%, and YouTube at 55%.
When consumers compared podcast ads directly to ads on other platforms, podcasts scored higher across all five attributes tested. 32% said podcast ads are more authentic than ads elsewhere, while 13% said they are less so. 34% said podcast ads are more engaging, while 15% said they are less engaging. 29% rated them more memorable, 21% less memorable; 27% more impactful, 17% less impactful; and 26% more relevant, 17% less relevant.
The report also measured how many ad exposures consumers need before seriously considering a brand. For audio podcasts, 20% of respondents said they require more than five exposures, the second-lowest figure across all media tested. Video podcasts were lowest at 17%. By comparison, Instagram and YouTube both stood at 25%, TikTok at 22%, cable TV at 21%, and streaming music services at 21%.
On brand safety, audio podcasts recorded the lowest rate of offensive or aggravating content among all platforms measured, at 11%, tied closely with video podcasts at 12%. YouTube led that measure at 41%, followed by TikTok at 39%, Facebook at 36%, Instagram at 29%, and X at 19%.
Reach and Attention
The ad efficiency data sits against a backdrop of broad weekly reach. Podcasting as a category reaches three out of five Singapore consumers each week, the report found. Audio accounts for 52% of that reach, video for 37%, and podcasts combined for 61%, a gain Acast attributes to the addition of video.
On focused attention, audio podcasts led all media measured. 86% of Singapore consumers said they are “very or somewhat focused” while listening to audio podcasts, compared with 84% for video podcasts, 79% for Facebook, 77% for streaming music services, 73% for cable TV, and 68% for radio.
Seven in ten weekly podcast listeners said tuning in to their favorite host is a highlight of their day.
Trust and Credibility
A total of 52% of Singapore podcast listeners aged 18 and older said they trust podcasters for product or brand recommendations, the highest figure among all creator and media types measured. Journalists followed at 50%, YouTubers at 48%, social media influencers at 40%, and celebrities at 33%.
Eighty-six percent of weekly listeners said they do not consider podcasters to be influencers. Yet 97% said a podcaster has changed their mind about something.
When listeners compared podcast hosts to social-first influencers across eight qualities, podcast hosts scored higher on every measure, including authenticity (71% vs. 29%), honesty (69% vs. 31%), knowledgeability (65% vs. 35%), and trustworthiness (64% vs. 36%).
Four in five marketers said podcast hosts are effective at shaping consumer perceptions of brands, according to the report. The marketer survey methodology and sample size are not specified separately from the primary consumer survey.
Brand Impact
The report documents high rates of brand-related action among Singapore’s weekly podcast listeners. Seventy-four percent said podcasters have changed the way they think about brands. Seventy percent said they have discovered new brands or products through podcasts that they now view positively, and 69% said a podcast host recommendation has led them to consider a brand they had never previously heard of. Sixty-six percent said they trust podcast hosts to give genuine endorsements.
Multi-Platform Behavior
More than four in five Singapore podcast consumers both listen and watch podcasts, the report found, though audio remains the dominant mode. Thirteen percent said they only listen, 34% mostly listen but sometimes watch, and 36% listen and watch equally.
Fifty-nine percent of weekly podcast listeners follow podcast creators on YouTube outside of audio listening, 46% on Instagram, and 41% on TikTok. Among 18-to-24-year-old listeners, those figures shift to 63% on YouTube, 61% on Instagram, and 34% on TikTok.
Seventy-five percent of podcast fans said their trust in a creator’s recommendation grows when they see products featured across multiple platforms.
Acast’s podcast network reported more than 2.66 billion combined social media followers, citing an analysis from podcast database Podchaser conducted in the second quarter of 2025. The survey sampled 250 Singapore consumers, split evenly between male and female respondents, across age brackets spanning 18 to 54.
Image source: Acast The full report is available here
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
Podcast advertisements in Singapore outperform other digital media formats on consumer engagement, ad saturation, and brand consideration efficiency, according to new research from podcast company Acast. The findings come from a quantitative survey of 250 Singapore consumers conducted in November 2025 via research platform Attest, and form part of Acast’s “Podcast Pulse Singapore Edition” report.
Ad Saturation and Engagement
Audio podcasts ranked highest among all measured media types for light ad load, with 72% of Singapore consumers describing ads on audio podcasts as feeling “light or moderate.” Video podcasts followed at 67%, ahead of radio and TikTok tied at 66%, Facebook at 65%, cable TV at 60%, and YouTube at 55%.
When consumers compared podcast ads directly to ads on other platforms, podcasts scored higher across all five attributes tested. 32% said podcast ads are more authentic than ads elsewhere, while 13% said they are less so. 34% said podcast ads are more engaging, while 15% said they are less engaging. 29% rated them more memorable, 21% less memorable; 27% more impactful, 17% less impactful; and 26% more relevant, 17% less relevant.
The report also measured how many ad exposures consumers need before seriously considering a brand. For audio podcasts, 20% of respondents said they require more than five exposures, the second-lowest figure across all media tested. Video podcasts were lowest at 17%. By comparison, Instagram and YouTube both stood at 25%, TikTok at 22%, cable TV at 21%, and streaming music services at 21%.
On brand safety, audio podcasts recorded the lowest rate of offensive or aggravating content among all platforms measured, at 11%, tied closely with video podcasts at 12%. YouTube led that measure at 41%, followed by TikTok at 39%, Facebook at 36%, Instagram at 29%, and X at 19%.
Reach and Attention
The ad efficiency data sits against a backdrop of broad weekly reach. Podcasting as a category reaches three out of five Singapore consumers each week, the report found. Audio accounts for 52% of that reach, video for 37%, and podcasts combined for 61%, a gain Acast attributes to the addition of video.
On focused attention, audio podcasts led all media measured. 86% of Singapore consumers said they are “very or somewhat focused” while listening to audio podcasts, compared with 84% for video podcasts, 79% for Facebook, 77% for streaming music services, 73% for cable TV, and 68% for radio.
Seven in ten weekly podcast listeners said tuning in to their favorite host is a highlight of their day.
Trust and Credibility
A total of 52% of Singapore podcast listeners aged 18 and older said they trust podcasters for product or brand recommendations, the highest figure among all creator and media types measured. Journalists followed at 50%, YouTubers at 48%, social media influencers at 40%, and celebrities at 33%.
Eighty-six percent of weekly listeners said they do not consider podcasters to be influencers. Yet 97% said a podcaster has changed their mind about something.
When listeners compared podcast hosts to social-first influencers across eight qualities, podcast hosts scored higher on every measure, including authenticity (71% vs. 29%), honesty (69% vs. 31%), knowledgeability (65% vs. 35%), and trustworthiness (64% vs. 36%).
Four in five marketers said podcast hosts are effective at shaping consumer perceptions of brands, according to the report. The marketer survey methodology and sample size are not specified separately from the primary consumer survey.
Brand Impact
The report documents high rates of brand-related action among Singapore’s weekly podcast listeners. Seventy-four percent said podcasters have changed the way they think about brands. Seventy percent said they have discovered new brands or products through podcasts that they now view positively, and 69% said a podcast host recommendation has led them to consider a brand they had never previously heard of. Sixty-six percent said they trust podcast hosts to give genuine endorsements.
Multi-Platform Behavior
More than four in five Singapore podcast consumers both listen and watch podcasts, the report found, though audio remains the dominant mode. Thirteen percent said they only listen, 34% mostly listen but sometimes watch, and 36% listen and watch equally.
Fifty-nine percent of weekly podcast listeners follow podcast creators on YouTube outside of audio listening, 46% on Instagram, and 41% on TikTok. Among 18-to-24-year-old listeners, those figures shift to 63% on YouTube, 61% on Instagram, and 34% on TikTok.
Seventy-five percent of podcast fans said their trust in a creator’s recommendation grows when they see products featured across multiple platforms.
Acast’s podcast network reported more than 2.66 billion combined social media followers, citing an analysis from podcast database Podchaser conducted in the second quarter of 2025. The survey sampled 250 Singapore consumers, split evenly between male and female respondents, across age brackets spanning 18 to 54.
Image source: Acast
The full report is available here