Report on Politics and Podcasting, Fans Trust Creators, & More

Today in the business of podcasting:

• Tom Webster breaks out the political findings from The Podcast Landscape 2026, including how Americans feel about politicians as podcast guests and whether those appearances could sway midterm voters.
• A Wondery and SmithGeiger study of 3,000 U.S. adults finds 81% of creator fans trust their favorite host as much as, or more than, their close friends. It also shows why multi-episode brand partnerships and clips work.
• Netflix is cutting about 1,000 jobs as it expects roughly $3 billion in ad revenue this year and adds video podcasts and creator programming.
• A new Nielsen report finds radio reaches 92% of U.S. adults each month, and that adding podcasts lifts reach among adults 18 to 34 to 94%.
• Dentsu wants brands to treat entertainment, including microdramas, video podcasts and YouTube-native series, as a core budget line instead of an innovation experiment.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today’s episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download’s newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.