Even as subscription fatigue grows across the US, consumers continue choosing ad-free video streaming in overwhelming numbers. For brands trying to reach these viewers on their home screens, the solution may not be video at all.
New analysis building on the fifteenth edition of the Podcast Download series from Westwood One and Signal Hill Insights show that podcast listeners are deeply embedded in the ad-free video streaming ecosystem. The study, conducted by Quantilope in October 2025 among 603 weekly podcast consumers, found that 94% used a video streaming service in the past month, while 86% used an ad-free platform.
Netflix leads usage among weekly podcast listeners at 88%, followed by Amazon Prime Video at 83%.
Podcast consumers devote 41% of their video viewing time to ad-free platforms, with heavier podcast listeners showing even stronger streaming behavior. Those listening six or more hours per week spend an average of 6.5 hours with ad-free streaming services, compared with 5.8 hours for weekly podcast consumers overall, and are 17% more likely to be heavy ad-free streamers.
In addition, 35% of weekly podcast consumers report having no pay TV subscription either, placing them outside the reach of linear television advertising altogether.
Despite this audience alignment, media investment remains heavily weighted toward television. Per Kantar, video streaming platforms spent $1.1 billion on linear TV advertising from January through November 2025 to promote subscriptions and content launches, while podcasts and AM/FM radio received a far smaller share of spend. The researchers characterize this imbalance as a share-of-voice opportunity for audio.
For brands worried about any loss of efficacy to audio from video, an ABX Creative Test comparing more than 10,700 TV ads with 2,779 AM/FM radio ads recently showed radio performing nearly on par with TV, with 95% of respondents saying radio was as effective as TV for a skincare ad and 85% saying the same for a haircare ad.
Taken together, the findings position podcasts and AM/FM radio as access points to displaced TV audiences, offering advertisers a way to stay connected to consumers who continue to watch video while increasingly opting out of television ads.
