Podcasting Now Reaches More Young Adults in the UK Than TV. Here's Why That Matters for Your Business
For years, the standard advice to any business wanting mass reach was the same: buy TV. Podcasting was the niche option for smaller, more engaged audiences. New data from 2026 suggests that model is already out of date, at least if the customers you want are under 45.
The headline finding
The 2026 UK Advertising Landscape Study surveyed over 5,000 UK adults and produced a number that should change how businesses think about their media strategy. Among 18- to 34-year-olds in the UK, podcasting now reaches 60% of the age group monthly, compared to broadcast TV's 57%. That isn't a projection or a trend line. It's the current reality. soundsprofitable
Broadcast TV reaches 81% of UK adults aged 55 and over, but only 57% of 18- to 34-year-olds. The medium that media planners have historically treated as the gateway to mass audiences is now, for the most commercially sought-after demographic, no longer the dominant force. soundsprofitable
Why the 35 to 54 group matters even more
The 18- to 34-year-olds get the attention, but there's a quieter finding in the data that deserves its own moment. When UK adults were asked which media they consider among their most-used platforms, podcasting ranked highest among 35 to 54-year-olds at 16%, ahead of every other age group, including 18 to 34-year-olds at 12%. soundsprofitable
This is the audience with established purchasing power and settled habits. They've built podcasting into their daily lives more deeply than any other age group. For Scottish businesses targeting decision-makers, professionals, or anyone in that mid-career bracket, this is significant.
The Scottish business angle
None of this is abstract for businesses in Scotland. If your customers are working professionals, business owners, or anyone broadly in the under-50 bracket, the audience you want is already listening. The question is whether your business has a voice in that space.
This is exactly the reason we built Podcast Studio Glasgow. Not because podcasting is a trend worth chasing, but because audio is where trust is built now. A podcast puts your expertise, your personality, and your point of view in front of people during the parts of their day when no other medium can reach them: the commute, the gym, the school run.
What this means practically
Starting a business podcast doesn't require a broadcast budget or a production team. It requires a clear perspective, consistency, and audio that sounds like you mean it.
The data says your audience is there. The only question is whether you show up for them.
If you've been waiting for a reason to take your podcast seriously, a study of 5,000 UK adults telling you your customers are already listening is probably it.
Source: The 2026 UK Advertising Landscape Study, commissioned by Sounds Profitable and conducted by Sound Insights. Fieldwork ran February 2026, n=5,033 UK adults aged 18+.
