ARN’s iHeart and Magellan unveil new insights into Australia’s podcast advertising

Building on its quarterly release of Australia’s top podcast advertisers, ARN’s iHeart and Magellan AI have unveiled a new report providing deeper insights into how brands are leveraging podcasts to connect with their customers.

The revived quarterly report continues to showcase the top brands investing in Australian podcasts and the genres they’re investing in, with further trend-based insights now being included – such as average ad length and placements, campaign objectives and the industries investing the most into the digital medium.

ARN says these enhanced insights aim to help brands understand how they can best engage with podcasts within their marketing strategies by highlighting how advertisers are maximising the growing medium through advertising.

The Q2 data found that the majority of brands are keeping their ad creative to 30 seconds, preferencing mid rolls, with a goal to increase brand awareness.

The quarter also saw the highest ad load in 12 months, highlighting how brands are continuing to recognise the value of investing in podcasts.

Reflecting this growth, the Top 10 Advertisers for Q2 2025 on Australian podcast advertising span a wide range of categories, with significant increases in spend from Telecom, Travel, Insurance, Health Services, and Financial Services brands compared to the previous quarter.

Westpac was the top advertiser for Q2 2025 and advertised across a range of local and international shows.

The Top 10 advertisers for Q2 2025 are:

1. Westpac
2. Entain Group
3. CommBank
4. BetterHelp
5. Airbnb
6. Amazon
7. Australian Defence Force
8. Telstra
9. The Walt Disney Company
10. Shopify

Corey Layton, ARN’s Head of Digital Audio, said: “We’re always exploring new ways to give brands more impactful, data-driven opportunities to connect with Australia’s most engaged and loyal podcast audiences. This latest evolution, in partnership with Magellan AI, provides a deeper look at how brands across all publishers are utilising podcast advertising. The data is designed to empower brands to make smarter, more informed decisions when investing in one of today’s fastest-growing advertising mediums.”

For the full report, download the Magellan AI Australia Podcast Advertising Benchmark Report Q2 2025 here.