Podcast ad revenue up 20% next year, thanks to video

Deloitte suggests that global ad revenue for "podcasts and vodcasts" will reach $5bn in 2026, up 20% year-on-year. The report suggests that consumers will also gravitate towards video - suggesting that users who watch vodcasts consume 1.5x more content than those who just listen to podcasts. The benefit of "something for your ears when your eyes are busy" is perhaps a disadvantage for advertisers - 44% of vodcast watchers say they don't multitask when watching, compared with 29% of podcast listeners. The report came out last month, but was reported again yesterday.

Hernan Lopez, the former CEO of Wondery, has had all charges against him dropped by the US DoJ, which is to dismiss a long-running bribery case against him. He has written about the legal process, which has taken six years. He has also spoken with Variety.

The BBC posted year-end figures for its proprietary podcast and radio app, BBC Sounds. Podcast plays on the platform, which is only available in the UK, grew by 15%. The most listened-to podcast (based on plays) was Newscast. The corporation hasn't broken out any play numbers for its podcasts.