Nielsen Finds Audio Still Anchors Podcasting.

Despite the industry’s focus on video podcasts, Nielsen says audio remains the foundation of podcast consumption, with listening continuing to dwarf viewing even as video platforms reshape how audiences discover and engage with creators.

In a new report, Nielsen argues that podcasting should no longer be viewed as a single medium. Instead, it says listening and watching represent distinct consumer behaviors, attracting different audiences, creating different engagement patterns, and driving different advertising outcomes.

“Despite the immense industry buzz surrounding video podcasts, audio streaming remains the absolute foundation of the ecosystem,” the report says. Nielsen found that 90% of monthly podcast consumers listen to podcasts, while 62% also watch them.

Yet video is largely complementing — not replacing — audio. Across the 10 largest podcast genres, only about 2% of consumers watch podcasts exclusively, while 29% listen exclusively and 69% do both.

The findings come as podcasting continues to capture a larger share of Americans’ listening time. Edison Research’s Share of Ear study says podcasts now account for 20% of all daily ad-supported audio listening among U.S. adults, second only to broadcast radio’s 62% share.

Different Mindsets

Rather than simply choosing different platforms, Nielsen says podcast listeners and viewers approach the medium with fundamentally different expectations. For listeners, podcasts function as what Nielsen calls a “secondary soundtrack” — content that accompanies commuting, work, exercise and other daily routines.

“For audio consumers, podcasts function as an ambient companion seamlessly integrated into their daily routine,” the report says. “Audio plays in the background, serving as a ‘secondary soundtrack’ to their life.”

That audience tends to be older, highly educated, employed full-time and living structured lifestyles where podcasts help fill otherwise unproductive moments. Nielsen found listeners consume an average of 10.2 podcast shows each week and overwhelmingly use smartphones as their primary listening device.

Video audiences, by contrast, treat podcasts as destination programming. “For video consumers, a podcast is treated as a primary media destination,” Nielsen says. “They treat content as an active, focused viewing ritual.”

The report says viewers skew younger and more male, are more likely to be students, typically consume podcasts at home, and watch an average of 3.4 shows each week. Nielsen also says YouTube has become their primary platform, accounting for a 34% share among video podcast consumers.

The distinction, Nielsen argues, is less about technology than consumer mindset. “The core differentiator between a listener and a watcher isn’t just the app they open — it is their lifestyle profile and frame of mind,” the report says.

Implications For Marketers

Those differences extend beyond consumption habits and into advertising performance.

Nielsen says audio listeners are more likely to respond through direct digital actions. Because many are listening while driving, working or exercising, they tend to seek immediate information after hearing an advertisement.

According to the report, 46% of podcast listeners look up an advertiser’s website for more information after hearing an ad, while 25% go on to complete an online purchase or order.

Video podcast viewers follow a somewhat different path. Because they are already engaged with a screen, Nielsen says they generate comparable purchase activity — 29% report completing a website purchase after seeing an ad — but are also considerably more likely to engage with brands socially by following, posting about or otherwise amplifying brands after exposure.

“The good news is that both formats are highly effective at driving real-world ROI,” Nielsen says. “However, the path to purchase looks very different depending on how the content is consumed.”

Nielsen concludes that marketers should stop treating podcasting as a monolithic advertising channel and instead match creative strategies to how audiences consume content. “By aligning creative execution with whether an audience is leaning in with their ears or leaning back with their eyes, brands can capture the full spectrum of the modern consumer’s day,” it says.

Download Nielsen’s Podcast Listen & Watch Report HERE.