This Week's Influencer: The State of Podcasting in 2026; ORBIT Report Finds Comedy's Real Stars; Unwell Tops iHeart's Valuation; and More…

If you weren’t at this year’s CAO Summit, you missed out on a keynote speech that drew parallels between the headaches caused by banks printing their own money in the 1800s and the state of podcasting today.

Lucky for you, we’re releasing the full recording in this week’s episode of The Media Roundtable.

Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy, Oxford Road) talk about how podcasting platforms are printing their own money, the friction that adds to industry tension, and how AMP is poised to help. Let’s dive in.

“Today, we have platforms that each print their own currency. We have downloads, plays, views, streams, video views. Each number may be perfectly valid inside of one individual system that created it, but the problem appears when a brand tries to compare them to each other.” –  Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road)

Download the State Of Podcasting Today

Trust is the Commodity – The one thing everyone in podcasting can agree on: This is a special and unique medium, thanks in no small part to the high levels of trust podcasters earn from their audience (according to one recent study, podcasters are nearly twice as trusted as influencers). But as Dan’s keynote points out, that trust hasn’t trickled down to the metrics and measurements used to gauge a show’s success.

Platforms Print Their Own Currency – That trust is undercut because marketers have to compare three seemingly incomparable metrics: Downloads, views, and plays. That forces marketers to run their own numbers just to guess how many people are actually listening to their ads. While we may agree on how valuable trust is to podcasters, nothing about accessing that trust is standardized, and it’s costing everyone.

Enter the Standards – The AMP Accords are our best chance at creating standards to eliminate the frictions of defining, buying, and measuring podcasts. They’re not perfect, and they don’t have to be. In the 1800s, federal dollar notes weren’t necessarily a perfect choice. But, when everyone agrees on a single trusted option, a dollar in one state becomes worth a dollar everywhere. If marketers ask for the same standards for the industry, trust will increase, and the industry can thrive. (If you agree, feel free to join the AMP Accords here.)

For more insights regarding the State of Podcasting, and how it can be better regulated, check out the full episode below.

Your Monthly ORBIT Report – August 2026

In Comedy, A-Listers Aren’t Always the Main Act

As the saying goes: “Dying is easy; comedy is hard.” That’s certainly the case when it comes to the comedy podcast genre. It’s one of the most competitive and complex categories tracked by ORBIT (the Oxford Road Benchmark Intelligence Tool). ORBIT isolated performance by using actual campaign data representing nearly $2 billion in advertiser spend. Special shout-out to our top three performers: The Adam Carolla Show (No. 3), Crash Dummies Podcast With Pat And Mike (No. 2) , and Tin Foil Hat With Sam Tripoli (No. 1).

Comedy is a highly competitive category, and as a result, our ORBIT ranker for the category is always in flux. Old favorites are regularly displaced by new hits, while shows hosted by A-list comedians are largely absent from ORBIT’s performance picture altogether, despite commanding big budgets and plenty of media coverage.  Here’s what we found:

• Comedy Can Be Cutthroat – Only four shows from our November 2025 comedy ranker held onto their spots during this latest round. The shows that fell off are still great buys, but their performance has been eclipsed by newcomers. The takeaway? When it comes to comedy, don’t just buy and forget. Instead, revisit your curated list frequently so that you can laugh all the way to the efficiency bank.

• Beyond Headliners – The comedy category presents a cornucopia of riches, with nearly half of the 125 qualifying comedy shows tracked in ORBIT proving to be efficient. But the genre as a whole lags. Why? Because the more efficient shows don’t get enough advertiser spend. Instead, the big bucks go toward the marquis shows that top the podcast charts, but don’t crack ORBIT’s top 50.

When marketers pick punchlines over popularity, comedy is king. For the complete August ORBIT Rankings and Insights, check out the full report below.

View the Full August 2026 ORBIT Ranking & Insights

The Classifieds

Don’t Get Caught in Third Gear While Everyone Else is Shifting Into a New Dimension

Network: PRX / Episodic Downloads: 92k

The technology may be ever changing when it comes to AI, but that just means there’s always something novel to talk about. SHIFT host Jennifer Strong aptly defines the role and reach of automation and artificial intelligence in this weekly podcast from PRX. Joined by experts from corporate America, tech, academia, and more, Strong conducts brisk conversations that center on some of the more complex utilizations of AI.

The show isn’t entirely business-focused, as subjects include everything from robots’ roles on the International Space Station to how AI could legally free innocent people from prison. For B2B advertisers who want to reach a technologically inclined audience, this is a must-test opportunity for Q4. The SHIFT is happening. If you think you can keep up, click below.

Get The Deal

Sometimes, What’s Wrong is Actually Right

Network: Impressions.fm / Episodic Downloads: 100k

We’ve all read the map wrong, or taken a wrong turn and ended up in the worst spot imaginable. Actress Jameela Jamil has taken the wrong turn many times, and though she hasn’t always been happy about it, she spends time each week with others reflecting on the impact those turns had on their lives. The stories on Wrong Turns with Jameela Jamil often veer into the weird and woeful, and are shared by well-known celebrities. The show also features listener-submitted stories, which are included in a segment titled “Misery Loves Company.”

Whether you’re licking your wounds, fresh off the newest ill-conceived decision, or you’re ready to reflect and move on, there’s something you’ll identify with on this podcast. The show’s audience is young, socially aware, improvement-driven, and heavily female, making it a great option for a huge selection of female DTC advertisers. There’s nothing wrong about venturing to the link below, so click for more details.

Get The Deal

In Case You Missed It

Can AI Turn Your Audio Creative Into a CTV Masterpiece?

Cineverse has launched VAUDIO, an AI-powered tool that transforms existing audio ads into connected TV (CTV) creative without requiring a traditional video production process. The platform combines audio spots with lightweight visuals—including branded graphics, motion loops, or talent imagery—to help advertisers extend audio campaigns into CTV more quickly at  lower costs. AI is making it easier to repurpose creative across channels, but easier doesn’t necessarily mean better. We’ve seen TV audio perform poorly when simply dropped into radio or streaming campaigns because each medium has different creative requirements. VAUDIO could lower production costs and make CTV more accessible, especially for smaller advertisers, but don’t confuse “good enough” with “effective.”

Read More

The “Bigger” Screen Showing Signs of a Comeback

Edison Research data shows that 13% of U.S. podcast consumers now name connected TV as their primary screen for podcast consumption. As video becomes a bigger part of podcast consumption, YouTube and other streaming platforms are giving podcasts more opportunities to reach audiences on the largest screens in the homes. This looks less like changing consumer behavior, and more like familiar behavior playing out in a new format. When video is available, consumers generally choose the biggest screen they have access to. At home that’s often a TV. Outside the home, it’s usually a phone.

Read More

Alex Cooper’s “Unwell Network” Worth More Than iHeartMedia? Let That Sink In.

Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network has received a strategic investment from WTSL, valuing the podcast and digital media company at approximately $500 million. While financial terms were not disclosed, the reported valuation exceeds the current market capitalization of iHeartMedia, highlighting the growing financial scale of creator-led media businesses. The fact that Unwell is worth more than iHeart tells you a lot about where investors think media is headed. Creator brands are increasingly becoming media companies in their own right. Time will tell whether those expectations prove realistic in the long term.

Read More

#SaveTheLiveReads

Bachelorette’s Dogs Know their Chewy Box Comes Before She Does

Former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe, of Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe, brings this week’s #STLR home with a playful and highly personal endorsement for Chewy. She starts by noting that her two dogs seemingly have a sixth sense, always knowing a Chewy box is coming before it even reaches the front door. That small detail sets the tone for a read that feels genuinely lived-in, as Kaitlyn walks through everything Chewy delivers for her four-legged companions, from food and treats to beds and toys.

She also highlights Chewy’s broader pet-care offerings, including prescriptions, telehealth, pet insurance, and 24/7 customer service, all of which demonstrates how the brand has become a one-stop shop for all things pets. Throughout the read, Kaitlyn makes a strong case for why the brand has earned a permanent place in her apartment, and why it should earn a place in yours. It’s a read that feels less like a sales pitch and more like an easy way to care for your furry best friends.

Listen Here

Contact us for a Consultation