Podcasting’s next growth frontier: tackling the unconverted

A lot of attention is being paid to the “rules of engagement” for podcasting: format preferences, video versus audio, and platform battles like YouTube versus Spotify. The industry is deeply focused on how and where audiences are consuming podcasts, and rightly so.

But a significant part of the story is missing.

The above only tells you about the engaged. The people that are already interacting with podcasts. The industry knows a great deal about these consumers; it understands how, where and why they engage. Yet, there’s comparatively little known about who is not listening.

The forgotten percentage

So, as we look to the rest of 2026 and beyond, the next frontier for growth has to be the unconverted.

MIDiA’s latest audio report the 2025 audio consumer profile highlights that the percentage of people who have yet to engage with podcasts globally is sizable. We are not alone in spotting this trend. The Sounds Profitable newsletter recently found that 25% of US consumers do not engage with podcasts at all. Although it is a US-specific figure, it supports what we are seeing globally: the unconverted are a major untapped opportunity, regardless of territory.And yet, the industry barely talks about them –because how do you discuss something defined by its absence? It’s a kind of Schrödinger’s podcast, present only in the fact it isn’t there.

Who are the non-listeners?

At MIDiA we are using our global data to uncover who the disengaged are. Their demographics, habits, and behaviours. What they do when they are not listening to podcasts and, crucially, how to engage them in this medium. 

This is something we will be studying closely in 2026. Watch – or listen – to this space.

The next audio mandate

The platform wars have been necessary. Understanding how the engaged behave has been valuable. However, if podcasting wants to grow beyond its current ceiling, the focus should move beyond preaching to the converted and toward the unconverted.

This requires a shift in both research priorities and marketing strategy. Rather than concentrating primarily on what works for current listeners, the industry needs a clearer understanding of which consumer segments are not engaging with podcasts, why that resistance exists, and what might shift it.

Answering these questions represents the next frontier for podcast growth.

The 2025 audio consumer profile: Habits, platforms, and personas is available now for MIDiA clients. If you are not a client but would like to learn how you can gain access to this report, please reach out to enquiries@midiaresearch.com.