Streaming Audio Isn’t New. The Data Just Finally Caught Up.

If streaming audio feels like an “emerging” channel to you, that’s understandable, but it’s also not accurate.

Streaming audio has been a viable paid media channel for decades. And we finally have the deterministic data needed to prove, at scale, what streaming audio actually does for reach.

That’s why we partnered with Magellan AI to bring the insights to life. 

The Persistent Myths Holding Streaming Back

As streaming audio has grown, so has the skepticism – especially among brands focused on reach efficiency and outcome-driven media. We consistently hear a few familiar refrains:

“My audience isn’t listening to streaming audio.”
They are. We just haven’t always been looking at the right data sources to prove it.

“I can reach the exact same people with podcasts or terrestrial radio.”
Sometimes. But not always. And not with the same delivery dynamics, identity signals, or decisioning capabilities.

“We already buy streaming programmatically. What’s the benefit of going direct?”
Banners on a streaming platform are not an audio strategy. They’re a donation to the platform.

Underneath all of these beliefs is the same issue: a lack of easy-to-source, deterministic data that proves quality reach, not modeled reach, not survey-based assumptions, and not “trust us” slides.

To cut through the noise, we teamed up with Magellan AI to analyze deterministic, household-level delivery data across streaming audio and podcast campaigns with one simple goal in mind: to understand how streaming audio and podcasts actually work together when it comes to reach.

The Verdict: Streaming and Podcasts Are a Tag Team

What the data showed was clear and consistent:
Streaming audio and podcasts are not competitors. They enhance each other.

When used together, they:

• Expand unduplicated reach
• Improve reach efficiency across households
• Deliver incremental audiences that neither channel captures alone

Streaming audio plays a critical role in reach-building and reach-balancing, making it a permanent, meaningful tactic in modern media mixes, not a “test-and-learn” line item.

See the Data for Yourself – Click Here to Download the Full Study

For many of our clients, this insight has already reshaped how streaming fits into their 2026 media strategies as a core channel that drives both resonance and hard results.

Contact our experts today and let us show you how podcast plans don’t have to work harder to work smarter.