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S&P Global: nearly 60% of U.S. online adults now listen to podcasts
S&P Global Market Intelligence finds nearly 60% of U.S. online adults now listen to podcasts — up 10 percentage points in early 2026 — with video platforms driving growth: 62% of listeners watch video podcasts on YouTube.
By S&P Global Market Intelligence / Radio Online · Published · Announcement date
A new analysis from S&P Global Market Intelligence, reported September 25 by Radio Online, finds U.S. podcast consumption continuing to expand: nearly 60% of online adults now report listening to podcasts, a 10-percentage-point increase in early 2026 driven in part by video podcast platforms.
Platform usage among podcast listeners in 2026 puts Spotify first at 45% (up from 40% a year earlier), followed by YouTube Music at 39%, Amazon Prime Music at 30%, and Apple Podcasts steady at 23%. On the video side, 62% of listeners report watching video podcasts on YouTube, with Netflix at 34%, Spotify at 23% and Apple platforms at 11%. Engagement remains high: 67% of listeners tune in at least weekly and 69% of listening takes place at home.
The figures describe S&P Global's surveyed panel rather than an independent census, and the underlying S&P report was summarized via trade coverage, so treat platform-share figures as directional. Even so, the video-podcast numbers add to a consistent 2026 picture: the audience increasingly treats audio and video as one experience.
Announcement date: September 25, 2026 (reported by Radio Online; the page carried no explicit dateline)
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