THE ADVERTISING LANDSCAPE UK STUDY
The first large-scale study of how British audiences experience podcast advertising — measured against 20+ other ad-supported platforms.
BRITISH AUDIENCES DIDN’T DEVELOP A RESISTANCE TO ADVERTISING. THEY DEVELOPED A STANDARD.
AND THE DATA SHOWS THAT PODCASTING - UNIQUELY - IS MEETING IT.
WHAT WE FOUND
Three headline findings from the data:
Among UK 18-24 year olds, podcast reach has already overtaken broadcast TV — 61% versus 52%. The planning assumptions haven't caught up.
79% of UK podcast listeners recalled hearing a podcast ad in the past week, at near-perfect parity across gender. Among 18-34s, podcast ad recall now exceeds broadcast TV.
44% of UK podcast listeners made a purchase after hearing a podcast ad — the highest of any platform measured, 10 points ahead of FM/DAB radio and 5 points ahead of broadcast TV.
PRESS COVERAGE
In addition to this Forbes piece that discusses both this study and the Signal Hill Insights ‘Livingroom Study’, the links below highlight the coverage so far.
READ ABOUT IT
Post 4
The Purchase Funnel
COMING SOON
Post 5
What Advertisers Should do next
COMING SOON
PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS
Presentation from the 2026 London Podcast Show
ABOUT THE STUDY
In February 2026, Sound Insights conducted the UK Advertising Landscape Study in partnership with Sounds Profitable. Built on a weighted sample of 5,033 UK adults aged 18+, it measured how British audiences actually experience advertising across more than 20 platforms — covering reach, attention, trust, and purchase behaviour.
The methodology was designed by Tom Webster, adapted from the US Advertising Landscape framework and applied to the UK market for the first time. The result is the most comprehensive cross-platform analysis of advertising effectiveness ever conducted in the UK.
The study was presented at The Podcast Show London in May 2026.
INTERESTED TO KNOW MORE?
The full dataset includes genre-level cuts, demographic breakdowns, and US-UK comparisons. If you're working on a commercial strategy, an agency pitch, or a show launch and think the data could be useful, get in touch.
GET IN TOUCH
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Email: ben@sound-insights.co
Phone: +44 (0) 7749 140 492