Podcasting grew up outside the system — no FCC license required, no Nielsen ratings to chase, no program director standing between a creator and their audience. That renegade spirit isn't just lore. It's baked into the DNA of the format.
YouTube's Brandcast 2026, its branding for its advertiser upfront, took place on Wednesday night. There were two key announcements at the event.
What We Know:...
Let's be honest: the money being poured into AI infrastructure is staggering. You'd have to be naive to assume that ad dollars won't follow the eyeballs.
"Digital has matured. The easy growth is over. From here on, success won’t be defined by participation, but by who can steal share from competitors."
A series of Advertiser Perception studies commissioned by Cumulus and Westwood One shows a near 2x increase in programmatic audio advertising usage compared to 2022.
"There is a responsibility that comes with making these decisions, not just in who is let go, but in how the news is communicated. When that control slips and information leaks before leadership delivers the message directly, it doesn't just create headlines—it erodes trust.