Performance TV is on the rise. But don’t overlook audio.

Accountability shapes media budgets. If a channel can’t show how it contributes to outcomes, it gets dismissed as branding.

That might explain why “performance TV” has become such a hot phrase recently, including at last week’s IAB NewFronts. But don’t forget about audio: It’s immersive, intimate and effective at building awareness and affinity.

The question remains: Can that influence be measured and scaled with the rigor performance budgets require?

How branding channels become performance media

Turning a branding channel into a performance channel is not about changing the medium. It is about changing the infrastructure around it. Performance media is defined not simply by reach, but by its ability to connect exposure to outcomes with consistency and repeatability.

That is the transition connected television (CTV) has undergone over the past several years.

CTV did not become powerful because audiences suddenly arrived. What changed was the underlying infrastructure. Programmatic pipes standardized access to inventory. Identity frameworks improved audience targeting. As those capabilities matured, CTV moved from branding budgets into performance allocations and began competing directly with search and social.

Audio now sits at a similar inflection point. Global on-demand audio streams in 2025 reached 5 trillion, according to an annual report from Luminate. And, according to Edison research, 55% of all Americans ages 12 and over (158 million people) listen to a podcast every month.

From these figures, it’s easy to see that audio consumption is increasingly digital, increasingly on demand and embedded in daily routines. The constraint on investment has been the operational complexity of measuring and optimizing performance consistently across fragmented environments.

The performance layer is taking shape

That constraint is now eroding. Third-party measurement providers validate online conversions, store visitation and brand lift in ways that align with the accountability standards applied to other digital channels. Reporting frameworks increasingly connect exposure to outcomes rather than limiting evaluation to CPMs and reach.

In other words, the same performance architecture that elevated CTV is now also elevating audio.

The broader streaming ecosystem reinforces this shift. The distinction between audio and video platforms has grown increasingly artificial as platforms like Spotify and Netflix vie for a slice of the video podcast pie but also allow audiences to move fluidly between listening and viewing.

Audio is increasingly being treated as a major factor in how consumers engage with content, rather than as a siloed medium.

Performance audio as a cross-screen multiplier

The role of performance audio within that ecosystem will complement CTV.

Audio captures moments that video cannot consistently reach. Commuting, exercising, working and multitasking environments are often screenless but attention-rich. These characteristics make audio particularly well-suited to frequency, reinforcement and incremental reach strategies that extend beyond the living room.

In cross-screen strategies, audio can reinforce messaging delivered via CTV, fill gaps in reach during off-screen moments and contribute incremental performance lift that is measurable and optimizable.

Rather than replace branding, performance audio expands audio’s ceiling. 

By introducing scalable measurement, AI-driven optimization and unified activation, audio becomes capable of competing for sustained performance budgets rather than incremental top-of-funnel allocations. This mirrors the trajectory of performance TV, which raised television’s investment profile by aligning with outcome-driven expectations.

Market forces favor performance audio

As accountability becomes table stakes across media, channels that can demonstrate disciplined performance are positioned to capture a greater share of investment.

Audio already possesses scale and engagement. The performance layer is rapidly maturing. As AI, automation and third-party validation become standard components of audio activation, the distinction between branding and performance in the medium will narrow.

Performance audio is, therefore, not a new invention but a structural evolution. It reflects the application of established performance principles to a channel that has long influenced behavior but lacked unified operational systems. As those systems solidify, audio’s role in the streaming economy is likely to expand from supportive awareness to a sustained performance contributor.

The scale is established. The infrastructure is advancing. AI is accelerating the outcomes era. Audio can clearly participate in performance media, but how quickly will the market recognize that it is ready for the next phase?

This op-ed represents the views and opinions of the author and not of The Current, a division of The Trade Desk, or The Trade Desk. The appearance of the op-ed on The Current does not constitute an endorsement by The Current or The Trade Desk.