YouTube Surges Past Spotify to Dominate UK Podcast Market—What’s Behind the Shift?

So here’s a twist I wasn’t totally expecting—YouTube has quietly nudged past Spotify to claim the crown as the UK’s favorite podcast platform. Yep, the video giant we all associate with cat videos and makeup tutorials is now where 29% of weekly podcast listeners prefer to tune in, just edging out Spotify’s 28%. It’s a slim margin, but hey, first time’s on record, and it’s enough to make podcast creators scratch their heads: should I be pivoting my content strategy toward video podcasts right now? What’s fascinating is how this shift mirrors the U.S. market from a couple of years ago, but with a uniquely British twist—courtesy of BBC Sounds holding steady at 15%. It’s a compelling signpost in the ever-evolving audio landscape, and if you’re eyeing where the audience is headed next, you might want to start thinking visual. Curious about the nitty-gritty behind these numbers and what they mean for your next move? LEARN MORE.

YouTube has become the top podcast platform in the UK, surpassing Spotify for the first time on record, according to Edison Research. Among weekly podcast listeners aged 15 and over, 29% now cite YouTube as their preferred service, compared to 28% for Spotify.

The one-point gap is quite small, and Edison describes the outcome as a first “on record” rather than a confirmed new trend. Edison Research at SSRS previewed YouTube’s rapid rise to become the top podcast service in the UK, ahead of a more detailed report expected later this month.

What the Data Shows

Edison’s trend data shows YouTube’s growth in the UK over four key periods. In 2023, YouTube held 19% of the primary platform share, increasing modestly to 20% in 2024, then rising to 25% in 2025, and reaching 29% in the first quarter of 2026. Meanwhile, Spotify’s share declined over the same timeframe, starting at 33% in 2023, slightly increasing to 34% in 2024, then dropping to 30% in 2025, and finally down to 28% currently.

BBC Sounds is the third most-used service, with 15% in the current reading, maintaining that share from 2024 and 2025, after 13% in 2023. Apple Podcasts holds 10%, a decrease from 12% in 2023. The remaining apps are grouped into an “Other” category, which makes up 18%.

Edison Podcast Metrics UK is based on interviews with 8,000 UK podcast listeners aged 15 and over each year. Edison did not disclose the sample size behind the Q1 2026 reading.

The US Crossover Came First

YouTube reached the top of the US podcast rankings about two years before the UK. In Edison’s US reading from October 2024, YouTube took 31% of primary-platform share among weekly podcast listeners aged 13 and over, against Spotify’s 27% and Apple Podcasts’ 15%. Edison tied much of the US move to younger listeners and video, reporting that 84% of Gen Z monthly podcast listeners ever listen to or watch podcasts with a video component.

SEJ has covered how YouTube reported more than one billion monthly active viewers of podcast content and became the platform Americans use most. The UK reading extends that same video-native pattern to a second major market.

Why Edison Says the UK Trailed the US

Edison points to the UK’s public-media presence as a possible reason YouTube climbed more slowly in the UK than in the US. BBC Sounds draws 15% of UK podcast consumers as their main service, a level Edison says has no equal among US public-media podcast offerings. A UK listener choosing among YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and BBC Sounds weighs a different set of options than a US listener choosing among the first three, which Edison gives as part of why the two markets moved at different speeds.

Why This Matters

The UK now looks like the US did two years ago, and the direction of Edison’s trend line matters more than the one-point margin. For a show deciding where to make its main home, YouTube is now the platform the largest share of UK weekly listeners name.

BBC Sounds is the caveat when you compare the UK with the US. A UK plan built on American platform-share assumptions understates how much of the domestic audience sits with a public-service option the US market doesn’t have. The Edison data gives a UK-focused show a reason to invest in video, as long as that BBC Sounds share stays in the model.

Looking Ahead

Edison will host a webinar on July 16, 2026, at 2pm BST and 9am EDT to present the full UK Podcast Consumer 2026 report. The session will also explore UK audience opinions on AI in podcasting, which will be of interest once the data is publicly available.

The lead is one point, and Spotify has slipped from 34% in 2024 to 28% now while YouTube’s gains have held across the series. The next reading will show whether the order holds beyond this first crossover.

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