A short, factual roundup of the reports and announcements that matter to people who run podcasts and content inside organisations. Every item links straight to the source.
Podcasting
Video overtakes audio in Edison's Podcast Consumer 2026
Edison Research's new study, presented on 4 June, finds that 58% of Americans aged 12 and over now listen to or watch a podcast every month, an all-time high of 167 million people. For the first time, video podcast consumption outpaced audio in Edison's metrics, and YouTube is now the service used most for podcasts, at 37% of weekly consumers. Read the summary. For what this means in practice, see our guide to video podcasting on YouTube.
Content marketing and advertising
IAB expects podcast ad spend to grow 9.6% in 2026
The IAB's 2026 outlook forecasts podcast advertising will grow 9.6% this year, up from an estimated 7.9% in 2025, making it one of the fastest-growing digital channels. Nearly six in ten buyers (57%) say they plan to put more emphasis on creator-focused ads and partnerships. Read the forecast. To connect spend to outcomes, see podcast analytics for business.
Compliance and regulation
EU publishes draft guidelines on AI transparency
On 8 May the European Commission published draft guidelines and a draft code of practice on the EU AI Act's transparency rules, with a consultation that closed on 3 June. From 2 August 2026, people must be told when they interact with an AI system or see AI-generated or manipulated content, and such content must carry machine-readable marks. Read the Commission notice.
EU agrees to delay high-risk AI rules and extend the marking deadline
On 7 May EU legislators reached a provisional agreement, the AI Act Omnibus, that extends compliance deadlines for standalone high-risk AI systems to 2 December 2027 and gives generative AI tools already on the market until 2 December 2026 to meet the content-marking requirement. Formal adoption is expected by July. Read the analysis. For podcast teams, we break down what NIS2, DORA and the AI Act mean for your stack, and the requirements for an EU-compliant podcast platform.
Video, ad growth and AI labelling converge on the same question: who controls your audience and your data.
That is the thread running through this week. As video reshapes where podcasts are watched and the EU tightens the rules on AI-generated content, owning your feed, your data and your distribution matters more, not less. Start with a platform built in Europe for exactly that on Springcast EU compliance.