Today in the business of podcasting:

• Table Read, a fiction podcast featuring award-winning actors performing unproduced film and TV scripts, completed its first-ever live recording at Podcast Movement Evolutions last week. Jack Levy has a new essay reflecting on how consistency and execution can elevate something from a tool to a medium all of its own.
• AdsWizz's Dave Sosson makes the case that audio is the missing piece in CTV strategy, citing studies showing retail campaigns combining audio and CTV produced a 12-point lift in aided recall over CTV alone, and automotive dealership campaigns adding streaming audio to CTV saw a 21.8% average gain in local market share.
• Media consulting firm Madison and Wall has revised its 2026 U.S. ad spend forecast up to 8.1% growth year-over-year, with digital audio projected to grow 4%.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.