Podcasts in Spain: iVoox links discovery, audience fit and creator support

The study also identifies what attracts listeners after discovery: interest in the topics, at 20.21%; entertainment, at 14.54%; and educational value, at 13.26%. These are specific reasons to listen again. A corporate podcast can develop specialist expertise or a useful conversation without making every episode an explanation of the product.

From that perspective, production investment needs to sit alongside distribution work. Defining that scope helps establish what the brand buys when financing a programme: a finished piece of content, access to a listening environment, or a combination of both.

Specialisation makes context an advertising argument

In the comparison between specialist and mainstream podcasts, 64% favour specialist shows when identifying where they are less likely to skip ads. The same 64% versus 36% relationship appears for trust in advertising recommendations. Alignment with their interests receives 62% versus 38%, and attention to ads 58% versus 42%.

The data behind the story

Topic affinity matters to reported advertising reception

Reported comparison between specialist and mainstream podcasts on four aspects of advertising reception.

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Topic affinity matters to reported advertising reception (%)

Category	Specialist	Mainstream
Less likely to skip ads	64%	36%
Greater trust in advertising recommendations	64%	36%
Ads more aligned with their interests	62%	38%
Greater attention to ads	58%	42%

These responses support a more precise choice of context than simply seeking the largest programme. A community gathered around a subject can offer an advertiser a recognisable relationship between the conversation, the listener’s need and the product. The preferences expressed by respondents help identify which combination of content and advertiser deserves examination.

In their commercial presentation within the report, iVoox and Publiespaña offer planning, activation and measurement through direct or programmatic buying. They describe coverage across iVoox, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms, with segmentation by interests, habits and listening context. They present a catalogue of more than 500,000 Spanish-language podcasts, a supply figure encompassing large audiences and specialist communities.

The economic mechanism is to make those environments accessible without requiring every brand to build its own audience from scratch. Intermediation brings inventory and buying options together; the editorial choice of programme supplies the context. The survey gives reasons to consider a niche, while the specific proposition needs to preserve the connection between the subject and the advertised offer.

The creator’s voice invites an action that still needs to take shape

After hearing a podcaster’s advertising mention, 66% say they would visit the advertiser’s website and 56% that they would buy a product. Another 28% report having bought one. The change in tense matters: two answers express willingness, while the third describes past experience.

The data behind the story

Purchase intention and reported past purchases are different measures

Published answers following a podcaster’s advertising mention: two intentions and one reported past purchase.

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Purchase intention and reported past purchases are different measures (%)

Category	Published response percentage
Would visit the advertiser’s website	66%
Would buy a product	56%
Reports having bought a product	28%

For a brand, the interest of these responses lies in showing that a relationship with the creator can accompany consideration as well as a reported purchase. The destination page, offer and commercial process continue that journey when the listener decides to act.

The report also qualifies its own argument about host mentions. In another comparison, the mention receives 65.6% for website visits against 62.2% for an advertising spot, but the row labelled “buys the product” shows 56% for the mention and 58% for the spot. The creator’s voice does not lead on every indicator. Selecting it for audience fit and its integration into the content is more precise than assigning it universal commercial superiority.

That distinction affects the creative brief. A recommendation that makes sense within the conversation can explain why the product belongs there and provide a recognisable next step.

Direct payment buys support, exclusivity and a different experience

Financing the creator adds another economic relationship. The report says one in three listeners already financially supports one or more podcasts, while 60% would be willing to do so. Among the published motives, helping the podcaster reaches 58.47%, listening without advertising 44.85%, and accessing exclusive content 43.89%.

The data behind the story

Supporting the creator sits alongside paying for a better experience

Reasons for financially supporting podcasts published in Observatorio iVoox 2026.

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Supporting the creator sits alongside paying for a better experience (%)

Category	Published percentage
Helping the podcaster	58.47%
Listening without ads	44.85%
Accessing exclusive content	43.89%
Entering competitions	17.48%
Talking with the podcaster	17.26%

Entering competitions accounts for 17.48%, and talking with the creator for 17.26%. Motives can coexist and are not revenue shares. Personal support and an improved experience sit alongside each other: a listener may want a programme to continue while also valuing an ad-free version or additional content.

That creates a decision for the catalogue and each producer. Advertising monetises attention of interest to a brand; direct payment depends on a proposition that the listener considers valuable. Exclusive access, programme continuity and listening without ads provide different reasons to sustain the relationship.

The business described by the study begins with content selection and continues through affinity with a voice. Platforms help the programme get discovered; specialisation offers context for advertising; and the relationship with the creator can sustain a direct contribution. Connecting those functions is more useful than treating every listen, intention and payment as a single measure of success.