Podcasting in 2026: Acast People Share Their Predictions
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Podcasting in 2026 has incredible momentum and big questions. Discovery is fragmenting across platforms. Measurement is getting sharper. Brands are asking for work that feels more human and performs like any other serious media investment.
We asked a handful of leaders across Acast to examine 2026 from five distinct vantage points: Strategic Intent, Product Innovation, Creator Growth, Creative Excellence, and Sales Impact.
The next phase of growth is about intention, not just reach. 2026 is the birth year of the Narrative Influencer
Podcasting in 2026 is a mature and essential media channel, even as the ecosystem grows louder and more complex. Brands are investing, podcasts feature heavily in media plans, and AI has become a resource that supports creativity and efficiency rather than replacing it. With that growth comes a clear challenge: navigating abundance without losing what makes the medium valuable.
The opportunity ahead isn’t to add more scale, but to add more intention. That means stepping back from age old tactics, reframing success, and shifting the focus from reach to resonance.
The creators and advertisers who succeed will be those who prioritize trust, relevance, and context, and who recognize that impact is not defined by scale alone. Audio remains the foundation of podcasting’s strength. It’s where credibility is built, relationships are formed, and recommendations carry genuine influence. Protecting that intimacy is essential as the industry evolves.
From this foundation, podcasting becomes more connected and more fluid. Growth in 2026 will come from campaigns designed with intention, grounded in strong audio partnerships, and extended thoughtfully where it adds value. Omnichannel isn’t the objective, it’s the natural outcome of strong, trust-based storytelling. When done well, these extensions strengthen effectiveness without compromising authenticity.
In 2026, podcasting will not be defined by who is loudest or largest, but by who understands their audience best, and earns sustained attention wherever they show up.
- Greg Glenday, CEO
Omnichannel discovery will reward platforms that connect signals to execution, not just insight
Podcast discovery has changed shape over the past year. The rise of video podcasts, combined with the scale of platforms like YouTube and TikTok, means audiences now encounter shows across a wide range of video-led surfaces: clips, feeds, search, and algorithmic recommendations. Not every podcast has become a video podcast, but discovery itself is now more distributed and omnichannel, extending well beyond traditional listening apps.
This shift breaks the historic link between where a show is discovered and how it is monetized. When discovery happens across multiple channels, the challenge is no longer choosing the right format, but understanding creator signals together. Audio performance, video engagement, and audience behavior must be viewed as one system. In 2026, the marketplaces that succeed will be those that integrate authenticated creator data across audio, video, and distribution into a unified intelligence layer.
Capabilities like Acast Intelligence are designed to do exactly that, turning fragmented discovery into coherent planning and recommendations. But insight alone isn’t enough. Value is created when intelligence can be acted on quickly and reliably.
Execution, particularly for sponsorships, is where this becomes real. With Acast's AdCollab, intelligence flows directly into sponsorship activation, allowing partnerships to move from brief and interest to delivered campaigns with minimal friction.
In 2026, the platforms that win will be those built as complete systems, where omnichannel understanding and end-to-end execution are connected by design. Audio remains the foundation of trust in podcasting, and its impact grows when that trust can be extended thoughtfully across channels.
- Ioana Havsfrid, SVP Product & Engineering, Acast
The creators who win will stay obsessed with their fans, wherever those fans show up
There are countless year-in-review and New Year industry predictions focused on how the podcast ecosystem is massively shifting, with creators looking beyond the RSS feed to build multi-platform brands spanning video, social, and live events. Yes, podcast consumption patterns have shifted, but the most successful podcasters always had varying connection points to their audiences. What remains key to building a successful business as a creator is keeping your fans front and center, wherever they may be consuming your content. The creators who focus on the fundamental goal of creating good content that benefits their audiences’ lives will have no problem figuring out how to funnel that into a variety of channels to reach more fans.
- Veronika Taylor, SVP, Global Creator Network
Brands will earn attention by investing in creative, long-form storytelling that audiences actually like
We all have limited time to consume media. Brands that successfully infiltrate consumers’ media diets will be those that work with creators to develop genuinely interesting, creative, entertaining content. We’re all growing numb to the call of the same-old ads we see and hear. Brands that dare to create and/or integrate into existing longer-form segments/shows will be the most successful at increasing consumer connections and building genuine fandom.
- Jenny Kaplan, Global SVP, Head of Acast Creative Studios
Podcasting will win by proving the business value of trust-based attention, not by chasing scale
This year, advances in attribution, standardized reporting, and clearer visibility across platforms mean brands can finally connect focused engagement with measurable outcomes. When marketers see how deeply engaged audiences move the metrics that matter, investment follows.
This unlocks a more effective growth path. Instead of relying on sheer impression volume, advertisers scale through high-quality placements that perform consistently. Podcasting gives brands access to leaned-in audiences where messages land with credibility and where partnerships with creators extend beyond the RSS feed into broader influence, expanded collaborations, creative integrations, and omnichannel extensions that amplify results.
Podcasting will not win in 2026 because it becomes larger, although we know that trend will continue. It will win because it becomes more valuable. As attention and trust become the metrics that separate meaningful engagement from passive exposure, podcasting stands out as the channel where every impression is not just counted, it converts.
- Ricardo Neto, VP of Sales
Podcasting in 2026 has incredible momentum and big questions. Discovery is fragmenting across platforms. Measurement is getting sharper. Brands are asking for work that feels more human and performs like any other serious media investment.
We asked a handful of leaders across Acast to examine 2026 from five distinct vantage points: Strategic Intent, Product Innovation, Creator Growth, Creative Excellence, and Sales Impact.
The next phase of growth is about intention, not just reach. 2026 is the birth year of the Narrative Influencer
Podcasting in 2026 is a mature and essential media channel, even as the ecosystem grows louder and more complex. Brands are investing, podcasts feature heavily in media plans, and AI has become a resource that supports creativity and efficiency rather than replacing it. With that growth comes a clear challenge: navigating abundance without losing what makes the medium valuable.
The opportunity ahead isn’t to add more scale, but to add more intention. That means stepping back from age old tactics, reframing success, and shifting the focus from reach to resonance.
The creators and advertisers who succeed will be those who prioritize trust, relevance, and context, and who recognize that impact is not defined by scale alone. Audio remains the foundation of podcasting’s strength. It’s where credibility is built, relationships are formed, and recommendations carry genuine influence. Protecting that intimacy is essential as the industry evolves.
From this foundation, podcasting becomes more connected and more fluid. Growth in 2026 will come from campaigns designed with intention, grounded in strong audio partnerships, and extended thoughtfully where it adds value. Omnichannel isn’t the objective, it’s the natural outcome of strong, trust-based storytelling. When done well, these extensions strengthen effectiveness without compromising authenticity.
In 2026, podcasting will not be defined by who is loudest or largest, but by who understands their audience best, and earns sustained attention wherever they show up.
- Greg Glenday, CEO
Omnichannel discovery will reward platforms that connect signals to execution, not just insight
Podcast discovery has changed shape over the past year. The rise of video podcasts, combined with the scale of platforms like YouTube and TikTok, means audiences now encounter shows across a wide range of video-led surfaces: clips, feeds, search, and algorithmic recommendations. Not every podcast has become a video podcast, but discovery itself is now more distributed and omnichannel, extending well beyond traditional listening apps.
This shift breaks the historic link between where a show is discovered and how it is monetized. When discovery happens across multiple channels, the challenge is no longer choosing the right format, but understanding creator signals together. Audio performance, video engagement, and audience behavior must be viewed as one system. In 2026, the marketplaces that succeed will be those that integrate authenticated creator data across audio, video, and distribution into a unified intelligence layer.
Capabilities like Acast Intelligence are designed to do exactly that, turning fragmented discovery into coherent planning and recommendations. But insight alone isn’t enough. Value is created when intelligence can be acted on quickly and reliably.
Execution, particularly for sponsorships, is where this becomes real. With Acast's AdCollab, intelligence flows directly into sponsorship activation, allowing partnerships to move from brief and interest to delivered campaigns with minimal friction.
In 2026, the platforms that win will be those built as complete systems, where omnichannel understanding and end-to-end execution are connected by design. Audio remains the foundation of trust in podcasting, and its impact grows when that trust can be extended thoughtfully across channels.
- Ioana Havsfrid, SVP Product & Engineering, Acast
The creators who win will stay obsessed with their fans, wherever those fans show up
There are countless year-in-review and New Year industry predictions focused on how the podcast ecosystem is massively shifting, with creators looking beyond the RSS feed to build multi-platform brands spanning video, social, and live events. Yes, podcast consumption patterns have shifted, but the most successful podcasters always had varying connection points to their audiences. What remains key to building a successful business as a creator is keeping your fans front and center, wherever they may be consuming your content. The creators who focus on the fundamental goal of creating good content that benefits their audiences’ lives will have no problem figuring out how to funnel that into a variety of channels to reach more fans.
- Veronika Taylor, SVP, Global Creator Network
Brands will earn attention by investing in creative, long-form storytelling that audiences actually like
We all have limited time to consume media. Brands that successfully infiltrate consumers’ media diets will be those that work with creators to develop genuinely interesting, creative, entertaining content. We’re all growing numb to the call of the same-old ads we see and hear. Brands that dare to create and/or integrate into existing longer-form segments/shows will be the most successful at increasing consumer connections and building genuine fandom.
- Jenny Kaplan, Global SVP, Head of Acast Creative Studios
Podcasting will win by proving the business value of trust-based attention, not by chasing scale
This year, advances in attribution, standardized reporting, and clearer visibility across platforms mean brands can finally connect focused engagement with measurable outcomes. When marketers see how deeply engaged audiences move the metrics that matter, investment follows.
This unlocks a more effective growth path. Instead of relying on sheer impression volume, advertisers scale through high-quality placements that perform consistently. Podcasting gives brands access to leaned-in audiences where messages land with credibility and where partnerships with creators extend beyond the RSS feed into broader influence, expanded collaborations, creative integrations, and omnichannel extensions that amplify results.
Podcasting will not win in 2026 because it becomes larger, although we know that trend will continue. It will win because it becomes more valuable. As attention and trust become the metrics that separate meaningful engagement from passive exposure, podcasting stands out as the channel where every impression is not just counted, it converts.
- Ricardo Neto, VP of Sales
