State of the Podcast Nation
Get full access to this report and assets
Already a MIDiA client? Login here to view this report.
If you are interested this report, or related reports such as "Marketing to Streaming Subscribers Engaging with Social Stories and Smart Speakers", "MIDiA Data Spotlight: Podcasts Riding Streaming’s Wave" and "State of the Streaming Nation 3.0 Multi-Paced Growth" get in touch today to enquire about a report bundle.
The 20,000 Foot View: Podcasts are an overnight success many years in the making. Podcasts were first added to Apple’s iTunes ecosystem in 2005, only to then spend a long time in the shadows. Now, however, they occupy the centre stage with radio companies, podcast vendors, streaming services and traditional media companies alike all trying to carve out roles. As with all emerging sectors, it is important to distil the hype from the reality, but even when taking a more cautious view, there are signs of a vibrant ecosystem emerging that is arguably the first entirely new media sector since the emergence of console games. Whereas most digital content markets have been new platforms for old businesses, podcasts are a new format for spoken word content with a marketplace of new creators and vendors.
SECTION ONE: AUDIENCE
- Monthly podcast penetration across the US, Canada, and the UK rose from 2018 to in 2019, with growth occurring in 2019
- Podcasts and are competing for share of over the same period and monthly radio listeners fell from
- The average of podcast listeners is compared for streaming music users and radio listeners
- Podcasts listeners more than twice as likely be Spotify users
- Music is most popular genre among podcast at penetration, followed by entertainment
- Males over-index sports podcasts, while females are likely to listen to educational, and interview podcasts
SECTION TWO: MONETISATION
- The emerging ecosystem is being driven by factors: a content renaissance, strong, monetisation, and a growing audience
- Podcasts are Netflix moment for radio, creating golden era for radio and content
- Radio faces strategic pincer movement with streaming for music audiences and podcasts spoken word
- Podcast creators earn around of revenue, compared between and for music artists
- There are key types of advertiser interaction podcasts, each of which give the chance to get close audiences
SECTION THREE: OUTLOOK
- Radio still listening with of all audio in North America and in in 2018, with podcasts at and
- There were monthly podcast listeners globally in with North America and Asia accounting for the majority of million)
- By 2026 will be million podcast listeners growth close to a straight in most markets, in contrast the maturing streaming music market
- Podcasts represent long-term, steady transition of radio however, revenues will grow much due to rapidly-improving monetisation
- Global podcast will increase from billion in to billion in 2026
- In 2018 podcast ad revenues were at with North America accounting for majority on million
- Advertiser budget and improved monetisation will see podcast ad revenue reach billion 2026
Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Acast, AdsWizz, Anchor, Apple, Audioboom, Aviva, BBC, Chartable, Crooked Media, DAX, The Economist, Global Media, Google Play, The History of England, JOE Media, Luminary Media, Mailchimp, Netflix, NPR, Patreon, Sounds, Spotify, Triton Digital, WBEZ, Wondery