Podcast advertising in the United Kingdom reaches a larger, more commercially responsive audience than previously measured, according to new research from the podcasting trade association Sounds Profitable, released at The Podcast Show in London this month.
The study, based on a weighted survey of 5,033 UK adults conducted in February 2026, found that 43% of UK adults listen to ad-supported podcasts on a monthly basis. That figure outpaces the comparable U.S. rate of 31%, according to the report, which was built to match the methodology of a 2025 U.S. study by researcher Tom Webster. Ben Robins led the UK adaptation.
Reach and Listening Frequency
Among monthly podcast listeners in the UK, 56% tune in daily or almost daily, a figure the report describes as indicating habitual rather than occasional consumption. The highest daily listening rate, 61%, falls in the 35-to-54 age band.
Among adults aged 18 to 24, podcasts reach 61% of the population monthly, compared with 52% for broadcast television. The two media converge in the 25-to-34 bracket, where podcast reach stands at 59% and broadcast TV at 60%. Broadcast television’s lead widens steadily in older age groups, reaching 82% among those 65 and older versus 21% for podcasts.
Ad Recall
The study measured past-week ad recall among 561 UK podcast listeners and found that 79% remembered hearing a podcast advertisement in the previous seven days. Across 21 media types measured, podcasts ranked tenth. Broadcast television led at 94%, followed by YouTube and radio, both at 88%.
Recall remains above 80% across all age groups from 18 to 54: 95% among listeners aged 18 to 24, 86% among those 35 to 44, 83% among those 45 to 54, and 82% among those 25 to 34. Among listeners aged 55 to 64, recall stood at 65%, and at 56% for those 65 and older. Male and female recall were effectively equal at 79% and 80%, respectively.
Purchase Behavior and Post-Ad Actions
When UK podcast listeners were asked whether they had purchased something after hearing an advertisement in the past three months, 44% said they had done so after a podcast ad. That rate exceeded broadcast television at 42%, YouTube at 39%, and FM/DAB radio at 34%.
Forty percent of UK podcast listeners reported taking at least one action after hearing a podcast ad in the past three months. The most common action was searching for more information, cited by 30% of respondents. Twenty percent said they discussed the product with others, 17% visited the brand’s social media page, 14% wrote down a promo code, and 6% made an immediate purchase.
Trust and Ad Perception
On the question of which media carries the most trustworthy advertising, podcast listeners rated podcasts highest among legacy media at 22%, ahead of radio at 19%, broadcast TV at 16%, and YouTube at 14%. On the attribute of ads feeling authentic and natural to the content, podcasts also led at 19%, compared with broadcast TV at 17% and YouTube at 15%. For accuracy of information, radio ranked first at 24%, followed by broadcast TV at 21% and podcasts at 20%.
Advertiser Spend Gap
Despite those audience and recall figures, the report estimates that podcasts currently account for less than 5% of total UK audio advertising spend. On a per-listener-hour basis, the UK market generates approximately £0.18 in advertising revenue, compared with £0.94 in the United States, representing a 5.2-times gap. The report attributes the difference to a more mature U.S. ecosystem featuring developed programmatic infrastructure, dynamic ad insertion on 90% of inventory, and established in-house brand buying teams.
Income Index and Genre Gaps
Podcast listeners in the UK are substantially more likely to fall into higher income brackets than non-listeners. Listeners are approximately twice as likely to report household income above £60,000 annually, 2.5 times as likely at £80,000 and above, and approximately three times as likely at £120,000 and above.
The report identifies three podcast genres where the 35-to-54 audience over-indexes relative to the general adult population but where advertiser supply remains limited: Politics and Current Affairs, with a 35-to-54 index of plus 38 points; Business and Money, at plus 29 points; and News and Daily Briefings, at plus 24 points.
The study was partnered with Sound Insights and presented alongside a separate audience migration analysis by media analyst Evan Shapiro, who reported at MIPLondon in February 2026 that traditional television has lost approximately one-third of its four-screen audience over a 36-month period.
Image source: Sounds Profitable Get the full report 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 advertising in the United Kingdom reaches a larger, more commercially responsive audience than previously measured, according to new research from the podcasting trade association Sounds Profitable, released at The Podcast Show in London this month.
The study, based on a weighted survey of 5,033 UK adults conducted in February 2026, found that 43% of UK adults listen to ad-supported podcasts on a monthly basis. That figure outpaces the comparable U.S. rate of 31%, according to the report, which was built to match the methodology of a 2025 U.S. study by researcher Tom Webster. Ben Robins led the UK adaptation.
Reach and Listening Frequency
Among monthly podcast listeners in the UK, 56% tune in daily or almost daily, a figure the report describes as indicating habitual rather than occasional consumption. The highest daily listening rate, 61%, falls in the 35-to-54 age band.
Among adults aged 18 to 24, podcasts reach 61% of the population monthly, compared with 52% for broadcast television. The two media converge in the 25-to-34 bracket, where podcast reach stands at 59% and broadcast TV at 60%. Broadcast television’s lead widens steadily in older age groups, reaching 82% among those 65 and older versus 21% for podcasts.
Ad Recall
The study measured past-week ad recall among 561 UK podcast listeners and found that 79% remembered hearing a podcast advertisement in the previous seven days. Across 21 media types measured, podcasts ranked tenth. Broadcast television led at 94%, followed by YouTube and radio, both at 88%.
Recall remains above 80% across all age groups from 18 to 54: 95% among listeners aged 18 to 24, 86% among those 35 to 44, 83% among those 45 to 54, and 82% among those 25 to 34. Among listeners aged 55 to 64, recall stood at 65%, and at 56% for those 65 and older. Male and female recall were effectively equal at 79% and 80%, respectively.
Purchase Behavior and Post-Ad Actions
When UK podcast listeners were asked whether they had purchased something after hearing an advertisement in the past three months, 44% said they had done so after a podcast ad. That rate exceeded broadcast television at 42%, YouTube at 39%, and FM/DAB radio at 34%.
Forty percent of UK podcast listeners reported taking at least one action after hearing a podcast ad in the past three months. The most common action was searching for more information, cited by 30% of respondents. Twenty percent said they discussed the product with others, 17% visited the brand’s social media page, 14% wrote down a promo code, and 6% made an immediate purchase.
Trust and Ad Perception
On the question of which media carries the most trustworthy advertising, podcast listeners rated podcasts highest among legacy media at 22%, ahead of radio at 19%, broadcast TV at 16%, and YouTube at 14%. On the attribute of ads feeling authentic and natural to the content, podcasts also led at 19%, compared with broadcast TV at 17% and YouTube at 15%. For accuracy of information, radio ranked first at 24%, followed by broadcast TV at 21% and podcasts at 20%.
Advertiser Spend Gap
Despite those audience and recall figures, the report estimates that podcasts currently account for less than 5% of total UK audio advertising spend. On a per-listener-hour basis, the UK market generates approximately £0.18 in advertising revenue, compared with £0.94 in the United States, representing a 5.2-times gap. The report attributes the difference to a more mature U.S. ecosystem featuring developed programmatic infrastructure, dynamic ad insertion on 90% of inventory, and established in-house brand buying teams.
Income Index and Genre Gaps
Podcast listeners in the UK are substantially more likely to fall into higher income brackets than non-listeners. Listeners are approximately twice as likely to report household income above £60,000 annually, 2.5 times as likely at £80,000 and above, and approximately three times as likely at £120,000 and above.
The report identifies three podcast genres where the 35-to-54 audience over-indexes relative to the general adult population but where advertiser supply remains limited: Politics and Current Affairs, with a 35-to-54 index of plus 38 points; Business and Money, at plus 29 points; and News and Daily Briefings, at plus 24 points.
The study was partnered with Sound Insights and presented alongside a separate audience migration analysis by media analyst Evan Shapiro, who reported at MIPLondon in February 2026 that traditional television has lost approximately one-third of its four-screen audience over a 36-month period.
Image source: Sounds Profitable
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