In 2025, podcasts are no longer just voices in your ears — they’re appearing on your screens, sparking conversations in the White House, and testing the limits of how we define “listening.” 

This year has already delivered some big moments: Podcasts are reaching the Golden Globe stage, YouTube is staking its claim as a dominant podcast platform, and Spotify is making bold bets on what the future of podcasts looks like. 

In this article, we’re breaking down the biggest stories in podcasting this year (so far). From platform shifts and audience insights to podcasts in pop culture, this is everything creators and brands need to know to stay ahead, adapt, and make sure their shows aren’t just heard, but remembered.

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New Heights reaches new heights with Taylor Swift 

When Taylor Swift revealed her upcoming album The Life of a Showgirl, she could have gone the traditional route: a glossy morning TV exclusive, a perfectly timed Instagram post, or a TikTok that would have instantly racked up millions. Instead, she broke the news on New Heights — the podcast hosted by her now fiancé, NFL star Travis Kelce, and his brother Jason Kelce.

The choice wasn’t just romantic, it was strategic. Swift’s announcement helped New Heights rack up 9 million YouTube views in the first 12 hours, drove a 2,500% spike in average Spotify streams, and boosted female listenership by 618%. On Instagram, the teaser clip soared past 5 million likes, sending engagement up 145%.

For a podcast already sitting comfortably in the sports category, Swift’s appearance turned New Heights into the place for the latest in pop culture. Podscribe even reported the show’s downloads jumped more than sixfold, temporarily making it one of the top five podcasts globally. In other words, what started as “football banter with the Kelce brothers” became the world’s biggest press conference overnight.

Swift proved that podcasts offer something even TikTok can’t replicate: intimacy at scale. The announcement didn’t feel like a PR stunt; it felt like a shared moment — authentic, conversational, and then supercharged by video snippets that spread across every feed.

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Podcasts reach the largest screen in the house

You didn’t launch your podcast thinking it would compete with The Office reruns on a 65-inch screen, but we’re here now.

This year, Smart TVs quietly became one of the fastest-growing homes for podcasts, pulling the medium out of people’s pockets and planting it squarely in their living rooms. 

But don’t just take my word for it. In the past two years, podcast consumption on TVs in the UK has doubled, and 8% of podcast listeners now say their primary listening device is a Smart TV. 

Here’s the most surprising part: it’s not all about video. In fact, for the majority of Smart TV podcast consumers, the TV is simply the most convenient screen available — a giant smart speaker with a scrollable menu.

And who’s the “majority of Smart TV podcast consumers,” you ask? While podcasting has traditionally been dominated by younger audiences, 37% of Smart TV podcast listeners are 55+. For a generation raised on prime-time television, swapping channels for podcasts on a familiar remote just makes sense. 

So, here’s what creators need to know: you don’t need to pivot to full-blown video production. But you do need to think visually. Bold cover art. Snappy titles. Bite-sized descriptions that can hook someone mid-scroll on a 65-inch display. Because podcasts aren’t just in your ears anymore. They’re in your living room, side by side with Netflix, YouTube, and cable TV. 

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The White House opens up the briefing room to podcasters 

At the end of January 2025, the Brady Briefing Room got a little less… buttoned-up.

For the first time, the White House officially welcomed podcasters, influencers, and content creators into its press room. In other words, those front-row seats that were once reserved for legacy outlets like The New York Times and CNN were suddenly being shared with the hosts of popular political podcasts.

For years, podcasts and platforms like TikTok have been where millions—especially younger audiences—go to make sense of the world. After all, 61% of Gen Z listeners use podcasts to stay informed on social issues, while over half of U.S. TikTok users regularly get their news from the app. 

Compare that to the record-low trust in traditional media Gallup reported, and the move seemed less like a gimmick and more like a long-overdue acknowledgment of how modern audiences consume media. 

The lines between “new media” and “old media” have been blurring for years, but this moment made it official. The White House recognized that a polished anchor at a news desk isn’t the only gateway to the public anymore. Sometimes it’s a podcaster who built an audience from their basement studio. Sometimes it’s a creator who can distill a complicated policy into a 30-second TikTok.

By extending those coveted seats to independent voices, the administration sent a clear message: if you want to reach the masses, you have to meet them where they already are — on their phones, in their earbuds, and in their feeds.

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Podcasting secures a front-row seat on YouTube

Now, it wouldn’t be a “top podcast stories of 2025” article if I didn’t mention video podcasts. 

According to a Signal Hill and Cumulus report, 34% of podcast consumption now happens on YouTube — making it the most-used podcast platform in the world. And it’s not just casual fans: YouTube tops the charts with newcomers and long-time listeners alike. Their data shows that listeners who discover a podcast on YouTube tend to stay for the video, the comments section, the algorithm’s recommendations, and the sense of community that comes with it. 

In January alone, YouTube reported over 1 billion monthly viewers of podcast content and 400 million monthly hours consumed on TV screens. To put that in perspective, Spotify claimed 120 million monthly podcast listeners late last year. Even if YouTube’s definition of “podcast” stretches to include news clips and TV recaps, the sheer reach is undeniable.

This becomes especially impressive when you consider that Google Podcasts only shut down in June 2024 – YouTube Podcasts has only been on the scene for less than two years and is already out-performing many of the industry’s go-to podcast apps. But don’t just take my word for it:

• 64% of podcast listeners found YouTube to be a better podcast experience compared to audio-only formats
• 48% of podcast listeners find new podcasts on YouTube

And this becomes all the more exciting when you consider that podcasting reaches 89 million American listeners each week. Compared to ~197 million YouTube users in the U.S., with 62% of them watching YouTube videos every day. This presents a massive opportunity to increase your series’ discoverability and visibility.

This year, YouTube even added a dedicated “Podcasts” tab to its Android TV app, putting long-form shows in front of millions of living room viewers. Suddenly, podcasting isn’t just in your ears during a commute; it’s competing with Netflix on your big screen.

What all of this signals is a shift in where (and how) audiences are choosing to engage with podcasts. YouTube isn’t just another distribution channel; it’s becoming a discovery engine, a community hub, and increasingly, a living-room entertainment option. 

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H2. Spotify’s (continued) fight for the video podcasting crown 

Spotify rang in 2025 with its biggest rebrand yet — Spotify for Podcasters became Spotify for Creators, a clear signal that the company sees its future in video. The pitch included more tools for creators, integrated ads to rival YouTube’s baked-in sponsorships, and the chance to tap into Spotify’s massive Premium audience with ad-free video.

So far, Spotify reports that the push toward video is making a big impact. The platform has 250k video podcasts – up from 100k last year – and the company is making 7-figure deals to bring more video creators to the app. 

But now that the dust has settled, the results are… complicated.

Take Ashley Carman’s reporting in Soundbite: of the top 50 shows, 37 post videos to YouTube, while just eight also upload to Spotify. And for some who made the leap, the financials have been sobering. Amanda McLoughlin revealed that her company actually lost nearly $1,000 in January after switching to Spotify video. Why? Spotify replaces your RSS feed with its own hosted video files, which blocks podcasters from running dynamic audio ads. For McLoughlin, that meant losing more than half of her revenue.

The skepticism doesn’t end there. Bryan Barletta of Sounds Profitable warned that, in its current state, Spotify Video carries “a massive and long-term negative revenue and reputational impact” for creators, citing unclear metrics, murky math around payouts, and the loss of trusted IAB-certified data.

Spotify, for its part, insists that these criticisms don’t tell the full story and says it’s eager to support creators in navigating the new system. But for now, the numbers suggest that YouTube is still the default home for video podcasts — with the audience scale, monetization options, and search dominance to back it up.

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The Golden Globes announces a Best Podcast Category for 2026 

Podcasts are officially stepping onto the red carpet. The Golden Globes announced a new category for Best Podcast, set to debut at the 83rd ceremony on January 11, 2026. This move shows how far podcasts have come as a storytelling medium, connecting with listeners in ways that go beyond traditional TV or film.

The category will consider both audio and video podcasts, highlighting shows that made a significant cultural impact over the past year. Eligibility includes the 25 most popular podcasts, with six finalists to be named. 

Until now, few major awards formally recognized podcasts. While the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards and the British Podcast Awards celebrate creators in both indie and commercial spaces, and the Webby Awards include podcasts among other digital content, a Golden Globes category puts podcasting squarely in the entertainment spotlight.

The timing makes sense: global podcast audiences are projected to surpass 600 million in 2026. Helen Hoehne, president of the Golden Globes, summed it up: “Podcasts have emerged as a powerful way to share stories and build communities across borders and generations.”

For creators, this isn’t just a symbolic gesture. It’s a sign that podcasts are being taken seriously, opening doors for more recognition and encouraging experimentation with both audio and video formats. The Golden Globes’ new category will shine a light on the shows shaping culture and the conversations people are having, proving that podcasts are now part of the mainstream entertainment conversation.

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Let’s hear it for this year’s movers and shakers

Podcasting in 2025 is proving it can still surprise us. Video is taking off, podcasting is in the White House, and listener habits are shifting faster than ever. For creators and brands, the challenge isn’t just producing great content — it’s understanding where your stories land, how they’re consumed, and who is tuning in.

Staying ahead means paying attention to both trends and data. 

• Which platforms are capturing attention? 
• What formats keep listeners engaged?
• How can audience insights be translated into content that sticks? 

The creators and brands asking these questions aren’t just being heard; they’re building shows that resonate, inspire, and grow.

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