While other media are struggling, investment in podcasting advertising continues to increase with ARN’s iHeart and Magellan AI‘s Q3 report in Australia showing spend gains in industries such as Food, Gambling, Investing, Energy and Health Services brands.
Other trends were that ad creative was mostly around 15-30 seconds with a preference for mid rolls and a goal to increase brand awareness.
In terms of genres, Educational, News and Kids & Family podcasts had the highest share of ad airtime this quarter with the contrast to that being Entain Group, a gambling organisation, the top advertiser across podcasts such as Hello Sport, Tradies and Alpha Blokes in the leadup to the AFL and NRL Finals.
The full Top 10 advertisers for Q3 2025 were:
- Entain Group
- Westpac
- BetterHelp
- Shopify
- Airbnb
- The Walt Disney Company
- Suncorp Bank
- Amazon
- Hyundai Motor Group
- Wise
Corey Layton, ARN’s Head of Digital Audio, said:
“Podcasting’s growth continues to climb. This quarter saw brands across every sector doubling down, tapping into the medium’s unmatched attention and trust. Marketers too are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how they craft campaigns that sound native to the content, connect emotionally and cut through in the moments when listeners are most engaged.”
Magellan AI also released the Q3 2025 edition of the Australian Quarterly Benchmark Report. They additionally looked at over 10,000 podcast episodes in Australia this past quarter to uncover the market’s latest behaviours, trends, and insights.
Some key stats:
- +18% Y/Y spend: Australian podcast ad spending continued to climb in Q3, increasing 18% year-over-year
- Average ad load of 7.51% was steady
- +62% ad spend in Food, +88% in gambling, +127% in auto
- $2.3M spend for Financial Services: Spend in Financial Services topped all industries this quarter with brands like Wise, Westpac, and CMC Market at the top.
The full report can be found here.
ARN’s iHeart and Magellan AI quarterly report provides trend-based insights that help brands understand how they can best engage with podcasts within their marketing strategies.