蘑菇AV

YouTube has more users than Facebook, Netflix, or Spotify. But its advertising revenues do not match its vast reach. This report contextualizes the opportunities and scope for growth in various media spheres.

Amazon Music鈥檚 AI push is promising but fumbles the execution: Explore brings deeper fan engagement, but a clunky interface may keep it from stealing share from Spotify or YouTube Music.

The news: Podcasts are becoming a popular way for brands to reach engaged audiences, with viewership mounting and new platforms throwing their hats in the ring. Podcast viewership is thriving, reaching over 140 million US listeners in 2025, according to our forecast. Listeners will surpass 150 million by 2027. Our take: Podcasts are shaping up to become a strong contender in media consumption, with nearly 70% of US adults ages 18 to 24 listening at least one per month, per our forecast. As platforms battle to be the leading home for podcasts, advertisers need to pay attention and tailor strategies.

Podcasts and streaming are boosting digital listenership. Podcasts and streaming music have displaced many traditional radio habits. Most popular talk radio shows that attracted appointment listening in the past are available as podcast downloads. Current affairs, culture, and sports programming are targeting a larger share of listeners digitally rather than over the air.

Podcast ad revenues surpassed $2 billion in 2024: As revenues maintain consistent growth, advertisers must tap in to meet audiences where they鈥檙e at.

Spotify showed resilience with strong Q1 gains: Still, margin pressures and licensing costs could challenge momentum ahead.

According to Podscribe, 75% of podcast advertisers in Q3 2024 ran at least one 鈥渟imulcast鈥� ad campaign鈥攊n which a podcast ad runs on a podcast鈥檚 video and audio versions at the same time鈥攐ver the past 12 months.

Netflix, Patreon explore podcast potential: As competition in the podcast space heats up, brands are looking for unique value propositions to draw audiences.

US adults spend over 32.3 hours monthly on the Spotify app, compared with 3.5 hours on Amazon Music and less than an hour on Apple Music, according to a January 2025 Comscore study.

New revenue-sharing perks could attract more visual content and position the platform to compete with YouTube as video podcasts surge in popularity.

How can Spotify grow its advertiser appeal? The music platform must tread carefully to attract advertisers while retaining customers.

On today鈥檚 special edition podcast, we talk about how brands are rising to the challenge of finding the right influencers and creators for campaigns. Listen to the discussion with Senior Analyst, Minda Smiley, as she hosts N鈥橸aisha Aziz, Global Social Media Lead at Uber, and Rodney Mason, the Head of Marketing and Brand Partnerships at LTK. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Contrary to popular belief, not every creator has a podcast. But those who do are a driving force behind the roughly $1.50 billion US creators will generate from digital audio distribution channels this year.

On today鈥檚 special edition podcast, we discuss the evolution of creator content, how content is migrating off social channels, brand partnerships and the implications of AI on content. Join Vice President and Principal Analyst, Jasmine Enberg as she hosts Nicole Weltman, Head of Social from Taco Bell, Bryan Reisberg, Creator, CEO, and Co-Founder of Little Chonk, and Sarah Crockett, Senior Vice President and CMO of DSW. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Podcasters can now let Spotify take over control filters, but with election season looming, the platform鈥檚 ability to manage offensive comments will be tested.

On today鈥檚 special edition podcast, we discuss how marketers and advertisers are beginning to treat influencer marketing as a need-to-have as more serious industries from B2B to politics and healthcare are developing their own creator strategies. This discussion is from the keynote of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 The Creator Economy Trends 2025 and is hosted by Vice President and Principal Analyst Jasmine Enberg and Principal Analyst Sarah Marzano. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

How SiriusXM plans to compete with Spotify: After a failed music streaming venture, the company is reinvesting in its car business.

Today, the percentage of US Spotify users who are subscribers, rather than ad-supported listeners, continues to tick upward, however slowly: By 2028, 57.5% of Spotify鈥檚 US listeners will be subscribers, up just 1 percentage point from 2024鈥檚 figure. Read the full report, Audio Ad Spending 2024.

Spotify can expect another strong year for ad revenues: Investor pressure has the company capitalizing on podcasts for a video advertising expansion.