Podcast Ad Spending Rebounds in February As Brands Return.

Podcast advertising spending rebounded in February, with the top 15 advertisers investing a combined $61.4 million, up from $59.8 million in January. That 2.7% month-to-month increase came as brands resumed spending following the post-holiday slowdown, according to Magellan AI estimates.

Quince led all advertisers with $5.9 million in spend, followed by BetterHelp at $5.3 million and McDonald’s at $5.1 million, marking a major jump for the quick-service giant after leading January’s movers and shakers. T-Mobile ranked fourth with $4.9 million, while Rocket Companies’ financial brands placed fifth at $4.8 million, continuing to stand out for its focus on science podcasts.

Sports once again dominated advertiser strategy overall. The majority of top spenders — including FanDuel, Shopify, Amazon, Public.com, Intuit, Toyota, DraftKings, and Verizon — concentrated their spending in sports podcasts, reinforcing the genre’s role as the primary destination for scale and reach. Only a handful of brands, including Quince and Squarespace, leaned primarily into comedy.

Retail, telecom, and fintech brands continued to show depth across the leaderboard. Amazon spent $3.7 million, while Public.com and Intuit each exceeded $3.5 million. Automotive advertiser Toyota also remained active at $3.5 million, alongside DraftKings at $2.9 million and Squarespace at $2.9 million.

Podcast advertising also saw a significant acceleration among fast-growing advertisers. Magellan AI reports the top 15 “movers and shakers” spent a combined $21.7 million in February, a sharp increase from $15.4 million in January, signaling a new wave of brands rapidly scaling podcast campaigns.

McDonald’s led the movers and shakers ranking with $5.1 million in spend, up 301% month-to-month, as it transitioned from a test phase into a full-scale campaign. VGW followed at $3.9 million after minimal January activity, while ISSA entered the market at nearly $1.9 million in spend.

Several brands moved aggressively into podcasting after little or no prior investment. Redfin, Depop, and Best Western Hotels and Resorts each reported zero spend in January before launching campaigns in February, while Kraken surged more than 7,000% month to month.

Consumer and tech brands also posted strong gains. PepsiCo increased spend to $1.3 million, Dell reached $1.3 million, and Meta climbed to $1.7 million, continuing its broader push into podcast advertising. Subaru and Anthropic posted some of the largest percentage increases, albeit from small January bases.

The list was rounded out by brands including 1-800 Contacts, Sterling Jewelers, and Aura Frames, each significantly increasing spend as advertisers continued to scale podcast campaigns beyond initial testing.

Magellan AI analyzes podcast advertising data from the top 3,000 podcasts in the U.S., as ranked by Apple Podcasts. Its proprietary model estimates spend based on ad load, episode downloads, and CPM benchmarks derived from media kits and market data.