A Power Pairing: Unlock Incremental Reach with Podcasts and CTV

The media landscape continues to shift as technology creates endless ways for people to stay entertained and informed. Consumers turn to streaming TV for premium entertainment, while podcasts provide companionship during commutes, workouts, and daily chores. Increasingly, the boundaries between these distinct formats have started to blur.

Connected TV provides high-impact visual experiences, but it simply cannot capture every waking moment of a consumer's day. Audio fills those gaps effortlessly, delivering daily, screen-free touchpoints that visual media alone cannot achieve.

By combining podcast and CTV advertising, brands can build a robust cross-channel strategy. This paired approach maximizes campaign impact, reduces audience duplication, and unlocks powerful incremental reach.

Podcasts and CTV are converging 

Streaming TV platforms and media companies are actively investing in podcasts to expand their content libraries and deepen audience engagement. We are seeing major media companies join forces to bring popular audio content to video environments. For example, Netflix announced an exclusive video podcast partnership with iHeartMedia to bring podcasts to Netflix audiences. Similarly, MSNBC reached a deal with Crooked Media to launch a weekly television program built around content and conversations from Crooked's popular podcast network. These moves reflect a broader trend: Podcast content is increasingly extending beyond audio-only environments and into video-first viewing experiences.

SiriusXM Media is also helping accelerate this shift by expanding its video podcast distribution through a partnership with Tubi. The collaboration brings a slate of premium video podcasts to one of the fastest-growing free streaming TV platforms, giving audiences another way to discover and engage with their favorite shows while creating new opportunities for advertisers to reach podcast fans in a CTV environment.

These moves reflect a broader trend: Podcast content is no longer confined to audio-only environments. Audiences increasingly expect to watch podcasts on larger screens and continue listening on the go, creating a seamless experience across CTV and audio.

Podcasts fill the gaps CTV leaves behind 

CTV is incredibly powerful, but audiences eventually turn off the screen. Podcasts are there to maintain a connection when screens go dark, offering several distinct advantages for brands to stay connected throughout the day. As podcast consumption increasingly spans both video and audio, people move fluidly between watching their favorite creators on connected TVs and consuming the same show via audio while commuting, working out, or running errands. For advertisers, that creates an opportunity to stay connected across every moment—not just when the screen is on.

Right frequency 

Building brand awareness requires repetition, but too much exposure can lead to wasted impressions and audience fatigue. Podcasts allow brands to maintain a steady, engaging cadence. Because podcast ads feel conversational, especially if they’re delivered by the host themselves, you can reach the same listener multiple times a week without causing ad fatigue.

By pairing podcasts with CTV, advertisers can increase campaign frequency across complementary viewing and listening experiences. Whether someone watches a podcast at home on their TV or listens to the next episode on the go, brands can reinforce key messages as audiences naturally move between formats.

No missed audiences 

If you rely solely on CTV, you’re missing out on the consumers who spend time away from screens. Your target audience likely consists of diverse media consumers. Some people binge-watch TV every weekend. Others barely turn on their televisions, preferring to consume hours of true crime or comedy podcasts. By activating both channels, you ensure no segment of your audience is left behind. And reaching audiences across both formats ensures your message stays with them wherever they choose to consume content.

Additionally, podcast platforms frequently require user logins, providing advertisers with rich, authentic data. You’ll have a better idea of who you are talking to based on verified profiles rather than relying heavily on household-level probabilistic data.

Efficient spend 

Digital audio can help advertisers maximize media efficiency by extending reach without requiring additional video inventory. Podcast creative is typically faster and more cost-effective to produce than video, making it easier to test messaging, respond to market opportunities, and optimize campaigns over time.

When used alongside CTV, podcasts help brands increase incremental reach, reinforce messaging, improve overall campaign efficiency, and stay present as audiences shift naturally between watching and listening—delivering more value from every advertising dollar.

Audio is the key to incremental reach

Incremental reach refers to the unique, net-new audiences you engage by adding a new channel to your media mix. It’s one of the most important benefits of a diversified media strategy. And audio excels at finding the consumers your video campaigns may miss entirely. By adding digital audio to a CTV campaign, brands can connect with audiences who may be underexposed—or not reached at all—through video alone. 

In fact, adding CTV to digital audio drives massive results for advertisers. We’ve found that combining these channels leads to a 14-point increase in message association and a 12-point increase in aided recall. 1 A major driver of this winning combination is the rising popularity of video podcasts. Currently, 46% of podcast listeners are also video podcast viewers. 2 This visual element makes podcasts a natural fit for CTV platforms, creating a seamless bridge between the two formats. Together, these channels help advertisers build more complete audience coverage throughout the day.

Reaching consumers during screenless moments 

People can’t safely watch a screen while driving. And they rarely watch TV while walking the dog. Podcasts thrive during these exact moments. Listeners tune in while commuting to the office, exercising at the gym, or finishing household chores. Digital audio advertising allows your brand to speak directly to consumers when visual media can’t.

Extending campaigns beyond peak viewing hours 

CTV consumption tends to concentrate around specific times, generally peaking in the evening. This means that if your campaign relies solely on video, your brand stays quiet for the vast majority of the day. Meanwhile, podcasts capture attention from the morning commute right through the mid-afternoon work slump and the evening wind-down routine. This effectively extends your campaign's visibility across all hours of the day.

Together, CTV and audio create a more continuous brand presence, helping advertisers engage consumers across a broader range of moments and contexts than either channel can deliver on its own.

Minimizing duplication with CTV audiences 

Because audio podcast and CTV consumption often align with different times of the day and different consumer behaviors, there is minimal audience duplication. When you add podcast advertising to a CTV campaign, you are not just hitting the same people twice. You are efficiently reaching completely new, untapped audiences who are highly engaged with their favorite audio content.

This complementary relationship helps brands maximize the value of their media investment, delivering incremental reach while reducing reliance on repeatedly reaching the same viewers through a single channel.

How to build an effective cross-channel strategy 

The most effective campaigns don't rely on a single channel to do all the heavy lifting. Combining podcasts and CTV requires a thoughtful approach. Here is how you can build a cross-channel strategy that maximizes your return on investment.

Diversify your media mix 

Don’t put all your advertising eggs in one basket. Flooding one platform with ads can lead to oversaturation and diminishing returns as consumers may quickly tune out your messaging. Instead, spread your budget across multiple platforms to keep your brand presence balanced and help shield your campaign from sudden algorithm changes. To drive conversions and maximize your reach, pair your audio and CTV efforts with targeted display, video, and social ads. This diversified approach allows brands to engage consumers across multiple touchpoints, reinforcing key messages while increasing the likelihood of reaching audiences wherever they spend their time.

Focus on deduplicated reach 

More impressions don't always translate into more reach. That's why it's important to measure campaign performance beyond simple delivery metrics. Use robust measurement and attribution tools to ensure you actually pay for new eyeballs and ears. Deduplicated reach metrics help you understand exactly how many unique individuals engaged with your campaign across all combined platforms.

Align with consumer behavior across devices and routines 

The most effective cross-channel strategies align messaging with natural consumption patterns. Use podcasts to reach audiences during on-the-go moments and screenless activities, while leveraging CTV to deliver immersive visual storytelling during peak viewing times. Together, these channels create a connected brand experience that meets consumers wherever they are.

Get started with SiriusXM Media 

As the digital ecosystem continues to evolve, advertisers must adapt to how audiences consume their favorite content. Podcasts provide the ultimate tool to expand your audience beyond traditional video channels, delivering vital daily touchpoints and massive incremental reach. Through solutions that span premium podcast inventory and growing video podcast distribution—including our partnership with Tubi—brands can extend their reach, reinforce messaging, and build campaigns that reflect how people actually consume content today.

Ready to build a smarter, more effective media mix? Let’s chat.

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