Deloitte: 2026 Will Reward Podcasts Built Like Fan Franchises.

As video podcasts rapidly gain traction with global audiences, the brands and platforms that embrace the medium’s immersive, shareable format stand to benefit from deeper engagement, stronger communities and expanded monetization opportunities. That’s according to Deloitte’s 2026 technology, media and telecommunications outlook.

The shift toward video matters because podcasts are beginning to claim consumer screen time once dominated by traditional television and streaming video. Deloitte projects global annual ad revenue from podcasts and vodcasts will hit approximately $5 billion in 2026, a near 20% jump from last year. The firm also forecasts that an increasing share of popular podcasts will offer video, and that consumers will gravitate toward platforms that support robust video experiences.

The predictions are based in part on Deloitte’s 2025 Digital Media Trends survey of 3,595 U.S. adults. It shows 27% of consumers watch video podcasts weekly, with Gen Z and Millennials leading the trend. Vodcast watchers also display higher engagement as 44% say they never multitask while watching, compared with 29% of audio-only podcast listeners. That suggests more focused attention on video content.

Deloitte data also shows video podcast consumers tend to consume 1.5-times more content than those who only listen, and about 25% of U.S. listeners and watchers report purchasing products or services they hear advertised on podcasts, indicating strong ad-driven commerce potential.

Looking ahead, Deloitte suggests several strategic priorities for platforms and content providers aiming to capitalize on the video momentum. It says streaming audio and music platforms should consider investing in seamless video streaming capabilities, including potential infrastructure and staff upgrades. Some already seem to be embracing that suggestion.

The Deloitte report also highlights opportunities in dynamic, shoppable video advertising, where interactive elements could drive direct commerce and attract sponsorships. Expanding into emerging markets through local content and personalities is another growth lever.

Video podcasts are also siphoning screen time once monopolized by TV and subscription streaming, while user-generated creators and short social clips are resetting how audiences discover, trust, and transact with content. The attention pie is fixed at roughly six hours of daily media time per U.S. consumer, forcing every medium — audio, video, social, gaming, and podcasts — into direct competition for a slice of the same day.

Yet the bigger disruption may not be creative, but economic. Social video platforms now command over half of U.S. ad spending, fortified by AI-driven recommendation engines and precision ad tech. Deloitte reports 63% of Gen Z and 49% of Millennials say social ads influence their purchases most, while streaming video ads rank a distant second. Even more revealing, 56% of Gen Z and 43% of millennials say social video content now feels more relevant than TV personalities or mainstream actors, with parasocial creator relationships turning niche hosts into new reality stars.

Fandom Is New Growth Engine 

The podcast business has long optimized for scale — more downloads, more platforms, more inventory. But Deloitte’s data argues that the industry’s next expansion may be driven less by mass appeal alone and more by hyper-engaged fan cohorts that behave like power users, evangelists, and high-intent consumers.

Deloitte’s research shows self-identified media fans engage more deeply with their preferred formats than casual audiences. Crucially for podcast publishers, these fans are far more likely to follow talent into adjacent ventures, including podcasts, merchandise, live experiences, and social platforms where audio virality increasingly begins. In other words, fandom is no longer just audience affinity — it’s distribution, retention, and monetizable attention.

Among surveyed U.S. consumers, 40% say fandom for their favorite music artist is core to their identity, and one-third attended a live concert in the prior three months. That same cohort over-indexes on creator adjacency as they are more likely to follow musicians into podcasts and other platform extensions, creating a measurable lift in sampling, loyalty, and monetization for shows anchored by culturally salient personalities.

Then there are the industry’s new “whales.” One-in-ten U.S. consumers self-identify as media super fans, meaning music, movies, TV, sports, and gaming are all central to identity. This cohort subscribes to more streaming services than average households, uses more social platforms, and spends more total time with digital media. They are the most cross-platform-native group Deloitte measured — and the most predictive for media diversification patterns, including podcast engagement.