YouTube is highlighting the top performers in its podcast library by bringing one of its most prominent ad products to the world of audio programming. By buying into a Top Podcasts Lineup, advertisers can bring their spots to a selection of leading shows.
The Top Podcasts Lineup does for podcasts what YouTube Select does for videos. The product that succeeded Google Preferred ropes off premium ad space on some of the platform’s best-performing channels. Those channels are then bundled together in category-specific packages that serve the needs of YouTube’s varied ad partners. That approach has proven popular; platforms like TikTok, X, and LinkedIn have recently launched their own YouTube Select-style products.
As the Top Podcasts Lineup brings that concept to the world of long-form, audiovisual series, YouTube is initially focusing on five distinct verticals: Sports, News, Comedy, True Crime, and Society & Culture. Within those categories, advertisers will be able to claim space adjacent to an eclectic variety of top shows. In the comedy category, for example, creator-led shows like Rhett & Link’s Good Mythical Morning are mingling with traditional celeb-driven fare like Seth Meyers‘ A Closer Look – Late Night.
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YouTube’s presence in the world of podcast advertising expanded greatly in 2025. Features like dynamic insertion and swapping made the platform’s audio ads more versatile for brands while also allowing them to work more effectively for creators.
Given the current state of the podcast industry, it’s not hard to see why YouTube is so focused on that particular medium. Podcast ad revenue reached $2.5 billion in the U.S. in 2025. The fourth quarter of the year was particular successful, as podcast ad spending jumped 32% year-over-year during that period.
Within that ecosystem, YouTube believes it is a platform brands cannot ignore. Alongside the launch of Top Podcasts Lineup, YouTube shared recent research from Kantar, which studied video podcast ads. On YouTube, video podcast ads outperformed audio ads by 7.3x in branded awareness, by 5.8x in ad recall, and by 4.5x in purchase intent.
The booming podcast ad industry has also created some complications. For brands, effective measurement is a recurring frustration. Meanwhile, listeners are starting to get irritated by the extreme ad loads they are encountering across their favorite shows.
In short, consistency is key. With its Top Podcasts Lineup, YouTube is presenting advertisers with a reliable batch of shows that are worthy of greater investments. Now its up to those brands and agencies to buy into the territory YouTube has cordoned off.
