Magellan AI has released the list of top podcast advertisers for May. In total, the spending is down slightly.
What We Know: Between the top 15 podcast advertisers, they combined to spend just over $60 million in May, according to Magellan AI. That is virtually identical to the prior month, when the top 15 spent $60.8 million. Despite the slight downturn, nine of the top 15 advertisers increased their spending during the month. Of the top 15, nine used the sports genre as their top spending format.
What the Numbers Show:
| Advertiser | May 2026 Spend | April 2026 Spend | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $7.7 million | $3.4 million | ▲ $4.3 million (+126.7%) |
| Quince | $6.1 million | $6.1 million | — $0.0 million (0.0%) |
| BetterHelp | $5.1 million | $5.3 million | ▼ $0.2 million (-4.7%) |
| Toyota | $4.7 million | $3.4 million | ▲ $1.3 million (+39.7%) |
| T-Mobile | $4.6 million | $3.9 million | ▲ $0.7 million (+18.7%) |
| Shopify | $4.6 million | $5.1 million | ▼ $0.5 million (-10.2%) |
| Public.com | $4.4 million | $4.3 million | ▲ $0.1 million (+2.9%) |
| FanDuel | $3.6 million | $4.1 million | ▼ $0.5 million (-11.6%) |
| Apple | $3.1 million | N/A | N/A |
| SimpliSafe | $3.1 million | $3.0 million | ▲ $0.1 million (+3.3%) |
| $3.0 million | N/A | N/A | |
| Progressive | $2.8 million | $3.8 million | ▼ $1.0 million (-25.4%) |
| DraftKings | $2.5 million | $3.6 million | ▼ $1.1 million (-29.9%) |
| Comcast | $2.5 million | N/A | N/A |
| hims & hers | $2.2 million | N/A | N/A |
What Remains Unclear: Why the downturn in podcast advertising has continued. April was down March, according to Magellan AI. Now May, albeit slightly, is down from April.
What It Means: The report from Magellan AI shows how strong the comedy and sports formats are for podcast advertisers. Those two formats account for all but one of the top 15 positions from advertisers. It will also be interesting to follow Amazon’s spending in June, as its popular Prime Day happens during the month.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
