To break the ice, I asked a simple question: Who here has listened to audio today? Almost every hand went up, followed by a ripple of knowing laughter.

It was a small moment that captured the bigger story. Audio has moved far beyond background noise. It is woven into daily life, the soundtrack for commutes, workouts, and quiet moments at home. Listeners are already all in. The challenge now is ensuring advertising investment reflects that reality.

Digital Audio Growth Outpaces Ad Spend

In my opening remarks, I shared a snapshot of where the UK audio market stands today. Listener habits are surging, but advertising spend has not kept pace.

• 70% of UK listeners (especially younger audiences) now consume digital audio daily on connected devices.
• Smart speakers are spreading, podcast listening continues to grow, and in-car integrations are making audio more seamless than ever.
• Budgets are still catching up. Although audio accounts for just 5% of total ad spend, according to the Q1 2025 Edison Share of Ear, and digital audio only 1.8%, according to a 2025 eMarketer forecast, the growth potential is enormous. Listener growth is outpacing investment, creating new opportunities for brands.

Panel: Programmatic Audio – The Rise, the Reality, and What’s Next

Our first panel, moderated by Rowan Hamill, Director of Business Development at AdsWizz, explored the shift toward programmatic buying. The panel tackled how automation is reshaping audio and what it really means for agencies, advertisers, and listeners.

Participants:

• Martyn Searles, AV Business Director, Hearts & Science
• Dave Ajumobi, Programmatic Lead, Two Circles
• Nadia Holmes, Head of Business Development, audioXI
• Libby Watling, Senior Account Director, Walk-in Media

The panel left no doubt: programmatic is the future. Agencies are embracing it for its scalability, efficiency, and simplified workflows. Even the skeptics agreed that media buying is moving in one direction.

Programmatic advertising adds flexibility, simplifies reporting, and enables campaigns to run across multiple formats in a single plan. Agencies have been clear in their demand for standardized measurement and streamlined workflows that make buying audio as seamless as display or video.

Fireside Chat: Podcast Targeting Buyers Can Trust

This session focused on podcasting, highlighting how the medium sits at the intersection of culture and commerce and why advertisers must approach it with authenticity.

Participants:

• Thema Archer, Senior Account Executive, EU Marketplace Partnerships at AdsWizz
• Renay Richardson, Founder & CEO, Broccoli Productions

Thema and Renay emphasized the power of independent podcasts to reach tightly knit communities built on trust. These shows give brands access to audiences mainstream channels cannot touch. Authenticity is essential: host-read ads resonate because they carry the creator’s credibility, and when brands integrate naturally into content, conversions follow.

While the UK still trails the US in monetization, programmatic buying is helping close the gap. Podcasts are more than a media channel. They are cultural launchpads, and AdsWizz is helping advertisers scale their investment with confidence.

Panel: Finding Your Brand’s Voice – Reaching Niche Audiences Through Digital Audio Targeting

Next, we turned to targeting. Moderated by Lindsay Lynch, Senior Director of Business Development at AdsWizz, this panel explored how digital audio enables brands to speak to the right audiences in smarter, more efficient ways.

Participants:

• Rachel Holsgrove, Director of Digital Operations, Octave
• Dave Ayre, Managing Partner, Programmatic, Dentsu
• Katriona Connely, Global Media Lead, Publicis Media
• Mike Murray, Head of Programmatic, OMD EMEA

Traditional radio still misses large swathes of listeners. Programmatic fills those gaps with richer data such as device type, IP, and commuting behavior.

Panelists noted that podcast content moves fast, which makes brand safety and suitability top of mind for advertisers. That’s why AdsWizz has built solutions designed to provide the transparency, control, and confidence brands need to invest in audio at scale. This topic gets explored further in the final session, which examines how advertisers can balance brand safety, scale, and authenticity.

Panel: The New Rules of Podcasting

The final session of the day asked what has changed in podcasting and how advertisers should adapt as the medium continues to evolve. Moderated by Guy Taylor, Director of Business Development at AdsWizz, this conversation focused on balancing brand safety, scale, and authenticity.

Participants:

• Tyler Clarke-Richards, Programmatic Account Manager, MG OMD
• Kate Cooper, Activation Director (AV), the7stars
• Pia de Giorgis, Associate Director, Connected Performance, OMD
• Dimana Zaharieva, Programmatic AdTech Solutions Manager, Acast

The panelists stressed the tension between brand safety and creativity. Content evolves fast, so strict controls rarely keep up, while over-targeting can fragment campaigns and stunt reach. The message was clear that podcasts thrive on authenticity. Overly complex classification risks stripping away what makes them effective. Buyers should favor simplicity, accept some unpredictability, and keep scale intact without choking creativity.

Closing the Gap

At AudioDays London 2025, the conversations showed where AdsWizz can make the biggest impact. Listeners are already deeply invested in audio, and advertisers have a clear opportunity to match that engagement. With trusted technologies and strategies, AdsWizz is enabling global brands to turn audience demand into measurable results.

Here are the priorities that emerged:

• Prioritize education by simplifying messaging around programmatic audio, targeting, and measurement so agencies understand the value clearly.
• Lean into curation and step into the driver’s seat. Buyers can now gain the transparency, control, and trust they already leverage in display and video.
• Leverage AI thoughtfully by showing how it creates efficiencies in targeting, identity resolution, and creative personalization while maintaining authenticity.
• Lead in measurement by advocating for standardized, cross-channel metrics that are both credible and easy to compare.
• Adopt a format-agnostic mindset. Audio podcasting remains the foundation, but video and multimedia can amplify reach, depth, and engagement.

These are not distant goals. Programmatic, smarter targeting, AI-driven efficiencies, and podcast monetization are tools AdsWizz is already delivering to help advertisers connect with audiences where they are today.

• Check out the full presentation here.
• Ready to amplify your audio investment? Connect with an AdsWizz audio expert.
• Look out for Audio Days Paris 2025 for more insights and conversations on the future of digital audio!

by Ollie Chadwick, Regional Director, UK & Ireland

The post Audio Days London 2025: Closing the Gap Between Audio and Investment appeared first on AdsWizz.

From presenting Infinite Dial UK 2025 with Edison Research to the incredible conversations across the floor, it was clear how quickly this industry is evolving. AdsWizz’s Rowan Hamil shared sharp insights during the Brands & Advertisers panel, and Anne Frisbie brought valuable perspective in Podcast Programmatic Buying: What’s Changed and Where the Future is Headed. For brands, agencies, and publishers, now is the time to act.

Want a glimpse of what it felt like to be there? Watch this highlight reel from our time at Podcast Show 2025.

Here’s what stood out to me and why it matters for where podcasting is going next.

1. Podcasting Has Moved Into the Mainstream

The Infinite Dial UK laid it out clearly. Nearly 90 percent of UK adults now know what a podcast is. More than 33 million people have listened to one. Crucially though, monthly podcast consumption has jumped from 41 percent to 51 percent since 2021.

That is not just growth. It is full adoption. Podcasting has gone from an emerging channel to a daily habit. The brands that still see it as experimental are missing the bigger picture. This is no longer a niche format. It is part of the mainstream media diet.

2. Programmatic Podcast Buying Is Already Here

During AdsWizz’s panel on the future of programmatic buying, I didn’t hear questions like “why programmatic” or “is this scalable.” I heard case studies, best practices, and smart discussions around optimization and audience targeting.

We are seeing programmatic become the norm, not the alternative. Advertisers are using dynamic creative and real-time signals to build campaigns that perform. At AdsWizz, we work with brands every day that want to pair innovation with control. That is exactly what programmatic offers.

3. Podcasts Are Becoming Visual and Changing the Game

Podcasts today are something you watch, share, and experience—not just listen to.

This one surprised a lot of people. Nearly half of UK podcast consumers now watch podcasts as well as listen. That means the podcast format is no longer just about audio. It is about storytelling across screens and platforms.

The smartest brands are thinking in visuals as well as voices. They are creating campaigns that live across audio feeds, video clips, and social platforms. That is where engagement is heading, and podcasting is meeting the moment.

4. Discovery Is Expanding Across More Channels

Podcast discovery used to be a top charts game, only through whichever App the listener used. Now it happens in the scroll, the feed, the inbox, and the friend group. It is nonlinear, unpredictable, and packed with potential. 

This means content needs to be built for adaptability. Can your show or your campaign stand out on social? Does your creative grab attention in six seconds? Are you present where listeners spend time? These are the questions that will shape how shows grow and how ads connect. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that podcasting is still very much an audio-first medium.

5. The Real Power Lies in the Data

Smarter data is turning audio from a content format into a business strategy. Pictured here: Ollie Chadwick, Regional Director, UK & Ireland at AdsWizz.

I kept hearing one theme at the show. Brands want to know what is working and why. It is not enough to launch campaigns. They want proof. They want insights. And they want action.

That is where podcasting shines when done right. At AdsWizz, we see what happens when brands use advanced analytics and attribution to shape smarter campaigns. Data turns podcasting from a creative channel into a strategic one.

Rowan Hamil’s panel underlined this shift toward outcomes-based audio advertising. She highlighted the growing adoption of contextual targeting, which now accounts for 60 percent of all targeting on AdsWizz. With technologies like AI-powered transcription and predictive audiences, advertisers can deliver more relevant messages without relying on intrusive tracking. Tools like Synthetic Voice Ads are also lowering barriers for small businesses to enter the space.

So, Where Do We Go From Here?

The Podcast Show London 2025 was more than a celebration. It was a signal. This industry is scaling up. The stories are getting bigger. The tech is getting smarter. The audience is growing deeper. For me, it confirmed that this is a space where creative and performance live side by side. Brands are becoming bolder. Listeners are more engaged than ever. And the opportunities are wide open.

I am proud that AdsWizz is not just showing up at this moment for podcasts. We are helping to shape it. If you’re thinking about what’s next for your brand in podcasting, the time to act is now. The future is already unfolding—and those who lead will define it.

• Curious about how your brand can run smarter podcast campaigns or tap into the power of programmatic audio? Let’s talk!
• Don’t forget to download The Infinite Dial UK 2025.

by Ollie Chadwick, Regional Director, UK & Ireland

The post The Podcast Show 2025: Five Shifts That Signal Where Podcasting Is Headed appeared first on AdsWizz.