Behind the Numbers: The Great BTN Bake (Take) Off — Digital Trends for 2026

Podcast: Behind the Numbers | EMARKETER
Date: January 5, 2026
Host: Marcus Johnson
Guests: Yuri Wormser (Principal Analyst), Ross Benish (Senior Analyst)

Episode Overview

This "Bake (Take) Off" episode of Behind the Numbers pits two EMARKETER analysts against each other to predict and debate two major digital media and advertising trends for 2026.

• Yuri Wormser forecasts a revolution in ad buying and selling driven by new industry standards enabling agentic (AI-powered) transactions.
• Ross Benish argues that the surge in video podcasting will benefit YouTube far more than any competitors.

The episode is structured as a three-round challenge:

1. Signature Take – Each expert presents their big trend.
2. Technical Deep-Dive – How the trend will play out.
3. Show-Stopping Argument – Each analyst argues why their trend is most likely to predominate.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Agentic Ad Buying and Selling: New Standards Are Game Changers

Presented by Yuri Wormser

Signature Take [03:14]

• "Agents are the buzz of the marketing world...a parallel effort is going on to automate ad buying and selling using agents." – Yuri [03:14]
• Human involvement remains for strategy and oversight, but agents will take over real-time ad optimizations previously managed by people.

How It Will Play Out [05:19]

• The key is new technical standards creating a “common language” so different ad-buying automation agents can interact seamlessly.

  • Example standards:
    • ARTF (Agentic Real Time Framework): For programmatic landscape.
    • ADCP: To link publishers and brands directly, beyond existing programmatic channels.
  • Industry group "Agentic Advertising" now oversees ADCP.

• "All these standards...are creating a common language for these agents to talk to each other." – Yuri [06:08]

• The biggest impact comes from standards that work beyond programmatic, enabling ecosystem-wide real-time optimization ("money for companies").

Barriers & Adoption Challenges [07:15]

• Incentives, especially on the supply side (premium publishers), will drive adoption.
• Demand-side (ad buyers) may have less incentive but will benefit if adopted widely.
• Biggest resistance: “Walled gardens” (Facebook, Google, etc.) prefer their own proprietary standards, could slow widespread adoption.
  • “They have their own standards...whether or not they want to buy into these standards is an open question...In the long run it'll benefit them, but...they’re going to be holdouts.” – Yuri [07:41]

Show-Stopping Argument [15:34]

• Real-time ecosystem-wide optimization is a compelling economic incentive.
• Flexible new ad formats become possible through more sophisticated agent-to-agent negotiation.
  • "If you’ve created a language that agents can understand...you can have a much richer understanding of what they want...customer bespoke ad formats..." – Yuri [16:22]

2. Video Podcasts: YouTube as the Big Winner

Presented by Ross Benish

Signature Take [04:03]

• Investment in video podcasts is growing, but YouTube’s dominance of the space will only increase.
• “YouTube is already a juggernaut...investment coming into this niche...going to serve their interest the most.” – Ross [04:14]

How It Will Play Out [08:23]

• YouTube projected to have more than double the US podcast viewers as its next closest competitor (Spotify).

• YouTube users are already predisposed to watching (not just listening), making the transition natural for creators and audiences.

• Other platforms face hurdles:

  • Audio-first audiences (Spotify, Pandora, iHeart) require more habit-changing and platform/product development.

• “YouTube didn’t have to put in a lot of effort...Podcast creators were already uploading this stuff there...It just kind of naturally comes into their system.” – Ross [09:11]

Role of YouTube as Ad Platform [09:45]

• Google’s lead in ad tech makes it easier and more lucrative for creators to monetize through YouTube, compared to smaller or audio-first platforms.
• “I think it’s more plug and play than it is learning how to work in video advertisements for another platform.” – Ross [09:57]

Viewing Habits & Platform Competition [10:25]

• Data from Acast: ~80% of podcast listeners watch some video, making video a norm, not an occasional add-on.
  • 17% watch video podcasts only; 5% listen only; vast majority mix both.
• While Netflix and Samsung TV+ are sampling podcast content, these are unlikely to rival YouTube due to inherent platform differences and longer-form content challenges.
• TikTok offers potential but is limited by its short-form structure.
  • “You don’t tend to have an hour-long TikTok episode...you'd have to chop it up or redo the creative.” – Ross [12:15]

Key to Success: Engaging Visuals & Production Value [13:00]

• Successful video podcasts need celebrity presence or “high-end studio” production.
  • “Some of these, like the Rogan show or Call Her Daddy...look like they’re a talk show...If it’s just guys in their basement...you could probably just listen to that.” – Ross [13:09]
• “Throwing up charts” and engaging elements help, but most consumption is still semi-passive—people watch when there’s something compelling, otherwise listen.

Show-Stopping Argument [17:16]

• Video podcast economics are strong: more platforms, higher CPMs, AI-driven editing lowers bar to entry for creators.
• YouTube’s massive existing presence and “ease of upload” draw creators and audiences naturally.
  • "If there's a surge of the production, I think they're going to capture a large share of the audience." – Ross [17:54]
• Not a rising tide for everyone: many audio podcasts won’t transition successfully, or will see only marginal video audience.
  • “Lot of podcasts...go back to just audio only or...tiny portion of their listenership.” – Ross [18:15]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Agents are the buzz of the marketing world...a parallel effort is going on to automate ad buying and selling using agents.” – Yuri [03:14]
• “YouTube is already a juggernaut...YouTube didn’t have to put in a lot of effort...Podcast creators were already uploading this stuff there.” – Ross [09:11]
• “If you’ve created a language that agents can understand...you can have a much richer understanding of what they want and...create more...customer bespoke ad formats.” – Yuri [16:22]
• “If there’s a surge of the production, I think [YouTube is] going to capture a large share of the audience.” – Ross [17:54]
• “There’s gonna be a lot of podcasts that go back to just doing audio only...tiny portion of their total listenership.” – Ross [18:15]

Important Timestamps

• [03:14] – Yuri’s summary of agentic ad-buying trend
• [04:14] – Ross’s initial YouTube/podcast prediction
• [05:19] – Yuri details new standards (ARTF, ADCP)
• [06:08] – The importance of a shared agent language
• [08:23] – Ross reveals YouTube’s forecasted lead
• [09:57] – YouTube’s ad model vs. competitors
• [10:25] – Breakdown of how listeners engage with video podcasts
• [12:11] – Ross on Netflix/Samsung/TikTok in this space
• [13:09] – Success factors for video podcasts (celebrity, visuals)
• [15:34] – Yuri’s "show-stopping" case for agentic standards
• [17:16] – Ross’s closing argument for YouTube dominance

Conclusion

Host Decision:

• Marcus credits both predictions as compelling: “Ross, yours is a lot more...consumer facing...business is going to care more about yours, Yuri.” [18:50]
• Ultimately, he crowns Yuri’s agentic ad standards as the more significant trend if it scales quickly, citing its transformative impact on the business side of digital advertising.

Final Thought:
The episode underscores two massive, converging forces shaping digital media in 2026:

• The automation and standardization behind-the-scenes that will completely overhaul how ads are bought and sold;
• And the continuing dominance of platform power, with YouTube set to build an even wider moat in the booming video podcast space.

For more on 2026’s top digital trends, EMARKETER’s Proplus subscribers can access their full report, “Digital Trends to Watch in 2026.”