Podcasters can now see which brands are actively buying ads in their category using Podmerse, a new public database built from podcast episodes rather than media kits.
The database tracks more than 2 million sponsored episodes, covering over 368,000 brands and nearly 44,000 podcasts, and updates daily as new episodes are published.
Podmerse data released today highlights a significant challenge for podcasters: sponsorships rarely last.
Of the brand and show pairings tracked in the first quarter of 2026, only 34% appeared again on the same show in the second quarter, even though those shows continued to run ads, the company says.
This means two out of three sponsorships did
This means two out of three sponsorships did not return, making sponsor acquisition a constant task for podcasters.
Traditionally, podcasters have relied on media kits to attract sponsors, but these documents often highlight only select sponsors, rarely include episode counts or dates, and can remain unchanged long after a sponsor has left.
There has been no public record of which companies actually buy podcast ads, leaving podcasters and advertisers to guess where budgets are being spent.
Anuj Agarwal, co-founder of Podmerse, said: Most small
Anuj Agarwal, co-founder of Podmerse, said: “Most small and mid-size podcasters are struggling to monetise their shows, and it is rarely because the audience is too small. It is because they cannot see which companies are already paying for audiences like theirs.”
Podmerse builds its record directly from episodes, monitoring more than 2 million podcasts and analysing each new episode for both host-read and dynamically inserted ads.
Each entry includes the brand and podcast, the number of episodes sponsored, the date of last appearance, and the relevant industry and category. All data is independently verifiable, with every count linking back to the original episodes.
Users can filter results by industry, podcast category,
Users can filter results by industry, podcast category, audience size, episode count, and last sponsored date. These results can be saved into lists and exported for media planning or sponsor outreach.
The platform also allows users to follow brands or podcasts. Following a brand reveals where its advertising budget is going next, while following a podcast shows which sponsors are buying its audience.
Vineet Agarwal, co-founder of Podmerse, commented: “The useful question is not which brands sponsor podcasts. It is which brands came back to a show a second and a third time.”
Find out more by visiting podmerse.com.
