YouTube has become the top podcast platform in the UK, overtaking Spotify for the first time on record, according to Edison Research. Among weekly podcast listeners 15 and older, 29% now cite YouTube as their service of choice, compared to 28% for Spotify.
The one-point gap is very small, and Edison describes the result as the first “on record” rather than a confirmed new trend. Edison Research at SSRS previewed YouTube’s rapid growth to become the UK’s top podcast service, ahead of a more detailed report expected later this month.
What the Data Shows
Edison’s trending data shows the growth of YouTube in the UK over four key periods. In 2023, YouTube captured 19% of the first share, rising slightly to 20% in 2024, then to 25% in 2025, and to 29% in the first quarter of 2026. Meanwhile, Spotify’s share fell during the same period, starting at 33%, down slightly by 2% on the 20th. to 30% by 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 held 10%, down from 12% in 2023. The remaining applications are grouped in the “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 after the Q1 2026 study.
The US Crossover Came First
YouTube topped the US podcast charts two years before the UK. In Edison’s study in the US as of October 2024, YouTube took 31% of the primary share among weekly podcast listeners aged 13 and over, compared to Spotify’s 27% and Apple Podcasts’ 15%. Edison tied much of the US movement to younger listeners and video, reporting that 84% of Gen Z podcast listeners this month have listened to or watched podcasts with a video component.
SEJ reported how YouTube reported more than a billion monthly active viewers of podcast content and became the most used platform by Americans. The UK study extends that same pattern of native video to a large secondary market.
Why Edison Says UK Followed US
Edison points to the presence of the UK media as a possible reason why YouTube has taken off more slowly in the UK than in the US. BBC Sound attracts 15% of UK podcast consumers as its primary service, a rate Edison says is unmatched among US public media podcast offerings. A UK listener choosing between YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and BBC Sound weighs a different set of options than a US listener choosing between the first three, which Edison gives as part of why the two markets move 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 is more important than a single point limit. With the program deciding where to make its primary home, YouTube is now the platform with the largest share of weekly audience names in the UK.
The BBC sounds a warning when comparing the UK to the US. A UK program built on American platform sharing assumptions undercuts how many domestic audiences live with a public service option that the US market does not. Edison’s data gives the UK-focused show a reason to invest in video, as long as that share of BBC Sounds stays in the model.
Looking Forward
Edison will host a webinar on July 16, 2026, at 2pm BST and 9am EDT to launch the full UK Podcast Consumer 2026 report. The session will also explore UK audiences’ views on AI in podcasting, which will be interesting once the data becomes publicly available.
The lead is one point, and Spotify has dropped from 34% in 2024 to 28% now while YouTube’s gains have taken hold throughout the series. The next reading will show if the order holds beyond this initial cross.
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