by Gavin Gaddis

The Podcast Study 2026 Reveals New Revenue Opportunities Beyond the Traditional Podcast Ad

Strategic Solutions Research and Point-To-Point Marketing present new findings from The Podcast Study 2026 on revenue beyond ads. As a reminder, The Podcast Study is built from a national survey covering 1,205 U.S. podcast consumers, supported by Crooked Media, NPR and PRX. 48.5% of survey respondents would definitely join a free VIP club. More than eight in 10 would open an email from a favorite host. 46.7% have bought merchandise or attended an event. Interest in paid offerings is strongest below $5 per month. Inside Audio Marketing describes a path from free engagement to paid participation through VIP programs, host emails, exclusive content and events. SSR's Hal Rood says podcast companies can make existing ads work harder while building memberships, premium offerings and events. The Podcast Study webinar series closes October 20 with What Radio Can Learn from Podcasting's Trust Economy.

Gen Z Unfiltered: When clips become the show

Amplifi Media founder Steven Goldstein, who co-teaches NYU's Business of Podcasting course, hosted a live focus group with three NYU students at Podcast Movement 2026. One student said he had watched entire podcasts through clips without visiting a full episode. Goldstein calls this "best-of-ing." Another said a strong clip sends her to the show's page and on to full episodes. A third argued that context gets lost in a snippet. The students rarely use links in creator bios, instead searching for a show inside the app they’re watching clips on. YouTube Shorts is the exception to this rule, as Shorts can link directly to full episodes. The students switch between audio, video and transcripts depending on device and setting. They decide within the first 30 seconds whether to keep listening. Goldstein recommends giving each clip a clear purpose and measuring how clips drive full-episode listens.

Audioboom Q3/26 Trading Update

Audioboom reports record Q3 2026 revenue of $23.8 million, up 17% year over year. Gross profit rose 30% to $5.6 million. Adjusted EBITDA rose 89% to $2.2 million. Revenue from its Showcase ad marketplace grew 20% to $9.7 million. Average monthly downloads and video views reached 190 million, up 47%. Revenue for the first nine months totals $69.5 million, up 25%. The company now expects full-year adjusted EBITDA of at least $7.7 million, ahead of market expectations. Audioboom ended the quarter with $6.7 million in cash and a $10 million revolving credit facility. Podnews notes the company plans to use that capital to lead what it calls the inevitable consolidation of the podcast industry. It aims to complete three to four meaningful acquisitions over the medium term.

How Data And Ad Tech Vendors Are Preparing For The iOS 27 Fallout by James Hercher

Further coverage of the iOS27 update that caused Safari to start blocking data and identity vendors at the domain level. The initial blocklist included LiveRamp, Permutive, Audigent, Unified ID 2.0 and The Trade Desk's adsrvr.org ad-serving domain. Apple has told The Trade Desk that the iOS 27.2 beta removes adsrvr.org from the list. That fix will take three to four weeks to reach most users. The blocks cut off identity matching across TV, streaming, mobile and web. Some advertisers paid for Safari impressions that never rendered. The IAB Tech Lab's open-source Trusted Server concept moves bid logic to publisher-controlled servers that browsers cannot block. Production tests are expected early next year.