Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment As the popularity of podcasts rise, networks are positioning hosts as the ultimate influencers. After slowing down in 2023, podcasting advertising shot back up again in 2024 to reach $2.4 billion and return to its spot as the top growth channel in all digital media, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. And this year, podcast advertising is on track to cross the $3 billion threshold, per estimates from the IAB. Part of the advertising return comes as brand measurement tools improve, said Matt Shapo, director of IAB's media center, but it also comes as listeners continue to seek out podcasts on topics that are meaningful to them and remain an engaged audience for those hourslong conversations. Related Stories Business Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway's 'Pivot' Podcast to Launch Live Tour (Exclusive) Business Lemonada to Launch New Podcast From Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody, Renews 'Wiser Than Me' "Podcasting has clearly captured so much of the cultural zeitgeist, right? People are still talking about the 'podcast election' for a reason," Shapo said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter at IAB's upfront in New York Tuesday. That close attention also means that podcast networks are rethinking how best to deploy their talent, and touting audio shows, as well as YouTube and broadcast channels, in some cases, in addition to their social media following and live events. "What we've been talking about here is a totally new influencer platform," Conal Byrne, CEO of Heart Digital Audio Group, told the crowd of ad buyers at the upfront. "In podcasting, the influencer medium we talk about is psychologists, historians, researchers, comedians, athletes telling stories in truly new ways." Calling podcasting the "most compelling, highest engaged" medium, Byrne also pointed to the statistic that Americans spend more time with podcasts than on social media and also touted talent including Jay Shetty, as well its sports-focused, included shows that are part of NFL's official podcast network, as well as Gen-Z creators. "When you run the numbers and when you do the survey-based studies about who are the most influential creators and who are the most influential influencers, generally speaking, podcasters come out at or very near the top," Shapo added. "It's very entertaining, and oftentimes you can get meaningful things from other influencer content, but you can't really find a substitute for sitting down and having an hourlong conversation that digs into all the things that you personally care about in ways that you find informative." Video has helped fuel the growth of podcasters, as YouTube remains the most popular podcasting platform, and helps drive the ad dollars, but it's also prompted an industrywide debate about what exactly constitutes a podcast, as was brought up across several sessions Tuesday. "There is some concern in certain quarters of the podcast industry about how the arrival of video and a lot of different social media starts to maybe change what has been a very special, intimate thing. But I don't personally feel that it has to change," Shapo said. "A lot of people think of podcasting these days as eyes-optional. I personally still think of it as audio-first and then again, eyes-optional," he added. And as the medium continues to evolve with the broader culture, there's been a shift in the lineup of influencers. After upfront presentations from WNYC and NPR - which highlighted its popular Tiny Desk Concerts and reassured ad buyers they weren't going anywhere, despite the federal funding cuts - as well as sports networks such as Jomboy Media, The Daily Wire, the conservative media company founded by Ben Shapiro, took the stage. The company touted its growing reach of more than 1 million paying subscribers and over 50 million podcast downloads per month, as well as several new advertisers from the past year, including Paramount, Meta, Oracle and Amazon. Popular hosts on the network also noted the change they've seen in political sentiment in the podcasting industry, and across the country. "I'm reminded of a line by Cardinal Manning, in which he says, 'There's a day to come that will reverse the confident judgments of men.' And I think this is the real key to recognize in this moment, specifically in this medium, there has been a massive shift," said podcaster Michael Knowles. "Part of that is technological. Obviously, it continues to be part of that. Part of that is political." "I'd also add that the silent majority isn't really silent anymore, especially in the last few weeks, with this shift that we've seen after the assassination of Charlie Kirk," said Isabel Brown, who also hosts a show on the network. "People are bolder today than they were a year ago. They're una