This Week’s Influencer: YouTube Vs Netflix-Competition Heats Up, Podcast’s Influence Over Elections Continues, iHeart Delves Into TikTok, and More…

Did you have Netflix becoming a major audio platform on your 2026 bingo card? Don’t worry if you’re surprised, we’re here to help you make sense of the big moves by the industry’s (new) big players.

This week on The Media Roundtable: Industry Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts audio experts:

• James Ingrassia (EVP, Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road)
• Shannon Quintana (VP, Account Management, Oxford Road)
• Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road)

The team is talking: Netflix x Spotify, Thinking Locally, Podcast’s Growth, and more. Let’s dig in.

“We’re in the right space. I think we all just wish there were fewer leashes to hold as you’re trying to make sense of all of it.” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road)

Netflix and Spotify Press Play – Spotify inked a deal with Netflix to move some podcasts (mostly from The Ringer network) off YouTube and onto Netflix starting in 2026.

• Pros: Netflix would love to steal some of YouTube’s share of couch (July 2025 Nielsen TV viewing had YouTube: 13.4%, Netflix: 8.8%), and Spotify gets its content recommended to a new audience.
• Cons: Gated content shrinks the audience, big questions remain on how live reads will be executed, and more measurement complications.

For performance CAOs, wait-and-see. For those in the winner-take-all categories, Netflix Podcast ads might be worth exploring?

Local’s Moment is Coming – Audio is the fastest-growing tool in local content marketing. 15% of local businesses use audio for marketing, up from 6% in 2022 (per a Borrell study). If small businesses and retailers are seeing success in local audio, there could be a revenue uptick for local journalism and local content creation. Soon consumption numbers and distribution ease could make local audio a key part of any CAO’s playbook.

Podcasts: Still Growing Strong – Podcasting remains one of the fastest-growing digital channels per a new IAB report. Fresh off the double-digit gains of last year, the IAB forecasts podcast ad revenue will climb 7.4% in 2025. (4.8% increase projected for digital audio not including podcasts). It’s a good sign for the strength of the industry. Even in an ROI-centric environment, marketers increase their bets on audio. And if we want to grow ad investment further, we have some thoughts from our CAOs (*cough* better measurement *cough*).

Want more insights from the industry’s movers and shakers without getting shook? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below.

The Classifieds

If You Can’t Take the Heat, Get Out of the Podcast Studio

Network: Blue Wire Podcasts / Monthly Downloads: 30k

Not to scare our readers who are booking for Q4, but just a reminder: Thanksgiving is in two weeks! If you’re digging through RFP submissions for a true gem, here are two podcasts ripe for testing at great rates. Sports podcasts are especially hard to come by, due to their current seasonality, but Blue Wire Podcasts luckily has open availability on one of their highest-performing opportunities. Stay Hot: A Sports Podcast is unique for its coverage of multiple franchises (NFL, NBA, and occasionally MLB and NHL). The show is hosted by TikTok stars Matt Sponhour, Blaiden Kirk, and Theo Ash, who provide informed, attentive coverage for their followers. With a majority male audience, this is a key offering for advertisers in the B2B and B2C spaces as the NFL season approaches playoff season. Heat your frigid Q4 budgets by clicking the link below.

Get The Deal

 Be Shepherds of the Flock

Network: Pray.com / Monthly Downloads: 700k

Faith is often personal and intimate, so finding a community is something many struggle with. Pray.com offers a slate of podcasts that connect Christian Americans to a virtual congregation, helping deepen their beliefs. Pastor Jack Graham has been a longtime leader of Southern Baptists in Texas, culminating in 16 million parishioners and a term on the Religious Advisory Council. This podcast is a mix of theatrical recreation and theological deep dives, culminating in the Pastor’s personal framing of the original Biblical text and his musings on its teachings. Though multiple media are available for sponsorship, audio impressions alone are quite high compared to similar opportunities. The audience leans older, female-skewed, and family-oriented, so any DTC advertiser targeting that demo is highly recommended to test. It’s better to give than receive, so we give you the link below to bless you with more information.

Get The Deal

In Case You Missed It

The Podcast Election 2.0 – Midterms Confirm Podcasting’s Importance At The Polls

Edison Research analysis reveals 2025 election winners dominated podcast guest appearances, with NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani appearing on 31 podcasts (reaching 12.5 million Americans weekly) and NJ Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill on 18 podcasts (reaching 4.1 million weekly). The data shows candidates are using podcasts more than ever to connect with voters, with winners significantly outpacing opponents in both podcast appearances and reach. Take it from the politicians: podcasting works. If you need more proof, check out our whitepaper: The Untold Story of the Podcast Election.

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Meta Profiting from Ad Fraud?

Reuters reveals Meta internally projected earning $16 billion (10% of 2024 revenue) from scam ads and banned goods, with internal documents showing the platform serves users 15 billion “higher risk” scam ads daily while only banning advertisers at 95%+ fraud certainty. Meta aims to reduce scam revenue from 10.1% in 2024 to 5.8% by 2027, prioritizing enforcement only in markets facing regulatory action. Meta made nearly as much from scam ads as the entire U.S. audio advertising market (~$18B). Marketers, take note: fraud inflates CPMs and devalues your campaigns. Might we suggest audio as an alternative?

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iHeart Looking to TikTok to Reach New Audiences

TikTok and iHeartMedia are teaming up on a broad multiplatform partnership that launches the TikTok Podcast Network. Featuring up to 25 creator-hosted shows and new co-branded studios in Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta, the deal also includes TikTok Radio—a national station designed to mimic the app’s experience in audio form—and live event integrations, signaling TikTok’s push into long-form audio and iHeart’s continued expansion across digital platforms. Credit where it’s due: iHeartMedia is on a roll. In just weeks, it’s inked deals with Netflix, Amazon’s DSP, and now TikTok. The real test will be whether these partnerships deliver tangible value for advertisers.

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#SaveTheLiveReads

Ryan George Jams Out With Raycon This Holiday Season

Ryan George is jamming out to all his favorite holiday tunes this week thanks to Raycon! As the Holiday and Black Friday season is upon us, Ryan’s signature absurdist humor turns what could be a generic sales pitch into a hilarious journey through “ad space” as an astronaut, promoting the new bone conduction headphones. His quirky lines, like “my bones are quite busy at the moment,” don’t just entertain; they cleverly highlight the product’s core features in a memorable way. Ryan is the ideal spokesperson here because he seamlessly blends his comedic brand with the product’s functionality, making technical specs like open-ear audio and waterproof design feel both accessible and cool. This ad is punchy, weird in the best way, and totally effective—because Ryan doesn’t just sell the product, he owns it!

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