80% of Americans both watch and listen to podcasts
Here’s the deal:
Are podcast consumers now watching more than they’re listening? With Netflix, Spotify, YouTube and Apple all vying for a piece of the video podcast pie, it’s tempting to say yes. But a recent report sheds light on U.S. consumption habits that paint a more nuanced picture.
Research from Triton Digital, based on a survey of over 6,000 monthly podcast listeners in the U.S., 18 years or older, found that 80% of respondents both watch and listen to podcasts. Thirteen percent said they exclusively listen, while 7% said they only watch (which seems more like just watching a talk show, right?).
The 2025 U.S. Podcast Report revealed some demographic differences. People who only listen to podcasts trended older and female, while exclusive watchers skewed younger and male. In fact, over half of adult males (54%) said they only watched podcasts.
Data debrief:
The report also dove into specific genres of the U.S. podcast audience.
Comedy, news and culture podcasts had the highest reach. Pods about government had the lowest, with just 0.6% of respondents saying they listened (whomp whomp).
Science podcasts were the genre most likely to be consumed exclusively through listening, at 58% of the audience. Podcasts about music were the most likely to be watched, with 34% of their audience choosing video.
While the kids and family genre had low overall reach, it drew the highest percentage of new podcast consumers. Forty-five percent of kids and family consumers said they were new to podcasts within the last year, followed by education (43%) and health and fitness podcasts (41%).
Why it matters:
The report argued that new podcast consumers could unlock new advertising opportunities and that they appear to have strong buying intent.
Those who started consuming podcasts in the last year were more likely to shop online, go to movie theaters or even switch wireless providers.
As video podcasts expand, advertisers may have even more ways to reach these audiences with an omnichannel strategy that combines both audio and visual formats.
For a deeper look at how these shifts are redefining audio, The Trade Desk Edge Academy’s Unlocking Audio offers additional reporting and expert perspectives on where the medium is headed next.
The Current is owned and operated by The Trade Desk Inc.