Sponsored by SpotsNow. SpotsNow is the AI operating system for podcast advertising. Join the webinar this Thursday to learn how podcast networks can use AI to maximize their sales output using Claude, agents and ChatGPT. Book Thursday's free webinar now Exclusive: New data released by Edison Research at SSRS today shows that Americans are spending almost four times longer with podcasts than they were ten years ago. This year, Americans are now spending 812 million hours each week consuming podcasts. That's a 5% increase in the total time spent with podcasting in just twelve months, and shows that podcasting has grown almost four times bigger for Americans over the last decade. It's the second year that we've worked with Edison Research to discover the real size of podcasting - and how it continues to grow. Gabriel Soto, Senior Director of Research at Edison Research at SSRS, told us: “Total podcast consumption time, a measure that accounts for both consumer growth and the increase in time we commit to podcasts, showcases to advertisers just how massive the medium has become. Ten years ago, I remember having to teach college friends how to listen to stand-up comedy podcasts on their journeys to class. Today, I study how that medium evolved into a mainstream cultural staple, a staple in the marketing playbook that advertisers cannot ignore.” The company recently released The Podcast Consumer 2026, which is now available as a free download. Netflix has signed another three shows from iHeartMedia. Shows include The Martha Stewart Podcast and Sibling Rivalry with Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson, as well as a new show from Lele Pons. The Locked On Podcast Network celebrates its tenth anniversary today. In an interview with the Podnews Weekly Review podcast, founder David Locke highlighted the network's 275 different shows. "We have a model and a structure, which I think allows to foster individualism inside of that model and allows those hosts to be great." He adds that the success of the network is founded on relationships. "The premise of Locked On is literally a relationship between the listener and the host about their team." You can read highlights from the interview in our sister publication the Podcast Business Journal. New data from Sounds Profitable's Advertising Landscape 2025 shows why sports podcasts are so successful for advertisers - 50% of sports podcast listeners discover new brands through podcast ads (that's +7 points higher than all podcast listeners). While we're talking sport, Million Podcasts released a look inside the