Podcast Statistics 2023 – Future, Demographics and Advertising Trends

Introduction

Podcast Statistics: Globally the total number of podcast listeners has reached over 464.7 million. The primary driving factor behind the growth of the global podcast market is the penetration of digitalization and the Internet in day-to-day activities. Thus, Podcast Statistics estimates that by 2027, the market will reach $66.24 billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 26.5%. As we see the leading podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts are making the user’s ear drum with entertainment.

What is Podcasts?

Podcasts are a type of audio listened-in series program available only in digital format. It can be downloaded or just streamed over the internet. Podcasts are available on various topics such as books, fitness, health, news, education, comedy as well as fiction. Some of the podcasts need monthly subscriptions while others are free to listen to.

Who Listens to Podcasts?

• Its demographics have historically not been representative of the population of the United States. Although 68% of podcast listeners were black in 2011, this trend is slowly changing.
• Here is the breakdown sorted by sources:
  • 57% are Whites
  • 13% are American but their origin is African
  • 16% Hispanic
  • Asian 4%
  • 10% Additional
• The USA is home to forty 7.9% of podcast listeners. Next, the UK has 6.3%, and people from the country Canada has 5.0%.

US listener Demographics

• In years past, the USA. listenership wasn’t as diverse as the population. However, this has changed more prominently in a span of a year.
• In 2021, female listeners are at their peak.
• Americans between the ages of twelve and thirty-four sum up to 66%, with podcast listeners declining as they age.
• Listeners aged 35-44 make up half of the listeners, while 65-year-old listeners comprise one-fifth.
• Podcasts are listened to by 43% and 39% respectively in the United States.
• More than 66% of those surveyed have a bachelor’s degree or greater and their household income on average is of seventy-five thousand dollars annually.
• More than one-fourth of Americans aged 55+ listen to podcasts.
• Among all generations except Gen X podcasts along with video is the most liked format while 31% of the opposition said they liked it without video.

Podcast Statistics on the International Front

• While podcasting is a popular medium in the United States, it does not hold the top spot for listenership or growth.
• The North part of America and Asia Pacific have the highest listening rates.
• 58% of South Korean adults listen to podcasts every month.
• Podcasting engagement is on the rise in most countries every year.
• In 2020, 18% enjoy the music on podcasts each week.
• Podcasts are listened to by nine million people from Canada aged 18 and older each month.
• Nearly 38% have listened to podcasts in the past year.
• 28% of listeners from Canada earn more than or equal to one hundred thousand dollars annually.
• Canada’s podcast listeners mainly consist of eighteen to thirty-four-year-olds.
• Just over one-half of residents of Italy aged 18-34 listened to podcasts in the previous year.
• For 45% of Italian listeners musical programs are their preferred podcast format, just after news programs.
• Podcast awareness in Australia increased by 4% in 2020.
• As of October 2022, the most preferred ads on Podcasts were the ones in the voice of the show’s host.
• As of 2022, Spotify has overtaken the place of Apple Podcasts for having the highest number of monthly active users resulting in 32.5 million while it is only 28.5 million the other.

• According to Voxnest, podcasting is growing fastest in the following countries:
  • Chile +83.9%
  • Argentina +55.3%
  • Peru +49.1%
  • Mexico +47.8%
  • China +43.6%

How do People Listen to Podcasts?

• Podcast listeners stream podcast content via their smartphones and listen to episodes through major podcast apps like Apple or Spotify.
• These are just a few of the other ways that people can listen to content.
• Podcasts are listened to by 13% of Americans on a laptop or desktop computer.
• 73% listen to podcasts from their smartphones.
• Podcast listeners make up 11% of the workforce.
• 32% of people aged 18 and over who have ridden in cars in the past month listen to podcasts.
• 18% of those aged 18+ own a car with smart entertainment systems.
• 49% of podcast listening takes place at home.
• Podcast listeners make 22% while driving or commuting.
• This information will help us to understand the entire podcasting industry. You can also learn about the key factors that drive podcast consumption.
• You can learn more about your listeners online to help you create a better podcasting experience.
• Podcast creators must understand how their content is used across a variety of platforms and situations.

Most Popular Podcasts?

According to the Podcast Consumer Tracking Report, the 10 top podcasts are:

• The Joe Rogan Experience
• The Daily
• Crime Junkie
• This American Life
• Stuff You Should Know
• My Favorite Murder
• Pod Save America
• Serial
• Office Ladies
• Call Her Daddy

Interesting Podcast Statistics

• It is very surprising that there are unique individual podcasts just not thousands but more than one million of them.
• In the United States, the approximate number of podcast viewers is around seventy-eight point nine million people.
• People of the United States listen to podcasts and the number is around one hundred and four million and that too on a monthly basis.
• Around 66% of Consumers in the present, opt for Podcasts as compared to TV.
• The shows the Podcast of Apple collects are more than eight hundred thousand shows.
• 65% of devices like mobile prefer Podcast.
• It is the favorite pastime of 79.8% of people while they are traveling.
• The music on Podcast is heard on mobile devices by 65% of listeners.
• The revenue generated out of the advertisement of podcasts is predicted to go up by more than one billion dollars in 2021.

Most Popular Podcast Directories

• Apple Podcasts is the number 1 site with 38.7% of all podcast listeners (40.348,623 podcasts downloaded).
• Spotify holds the number 2 spot currently with 26.4% podcast users and 27,453,741 downloaded songs.
• Other podcasting platforms are ranked in order of popularity.
  • Web Browser 2.8%
  • Google Podcasts 2.5%
  • Buzzsprout embed-player 1.5%
  • Castbox 1.7%
  • Podcast Addict 1.4%
  • Overcast 1.1%
  • Apple iTunes 1.2%

Trends and Listening Behavior

• You can use podcast listener behavior to help you improve your content and increase audience engagement.
• These podcast stats show trends related to listeners’ everyday habits and routines.
• Podcast listeners are more likely to follow brands via social media and have a smart speaker (such as the Amazon Echo or HomePod mini).
• 80% of podcast listeners listen to every episode.
• 28% of Americans listen to podcasts while driving.
• Podcast listeners subscribe to an average of six podcasts.
• Podcast listeners typically tune in to eight different shows each week.
• Listeners who listen to podcasts for at least five hours per week show slightly different behavior from average listeners. These listeners were found to be the Edison Research Super Listeners 2021.
• Podcasts have consumed an average of 11.2 hours per week.
• Podcast listeners who are avid podcast listeners listen to radio for 65 minutes more than the average American.
• Many times, you will also hear video content.
• 19% of people discover podcasts via YouTube the most.
• Subscribers to premium streaming services are 94% more likely.

Podcasts Demographics

• Advertisers want to know how many people listen to podcasts.
• This information will not be of any use if you don’t know who listens to what types of podcasts.
• You need to understand the demographics of your listeners in order to produce a podcast that is successful.
• Not all series are created for the same audience.
• No matter what medium, there is always segmentation.
• It will be easier to create content that appeals to your audience if you understand who they are.
• Let’s now see what the statistics have to say.
• 48% of Americans who listen to podcasts are between 12 and 34 years old.
• According to the US podcast listeners, 48% are aged 12-34 years, 32% 35-54 years, and 20% over 55 years.
• The US has a fairly balanced population when it comes to gender. 51% are male and 49% female.
• According to US statistics, 63% of Americans are white; 11% African-American, 11% Hispanic, 11% Hispanic, and 5% Asian. There is also 10% of other ethnicities.

• Podcasts are becoming more popular for both men and women (outside of the entire US population). Comparable to 2017, where 27% and 21% of men did it on a monthly basis, 2017.
• This is 2% more than in 2020. Podcasts have been used by 10 million more Americans in just one year. Podcasts are now known by a little over 222 million Americans (78%) which is an increase of 4.72% from 2020.
• 27% of monthly listeners have at least some college education. 25% have a 4-year college and 20% have a high school diploma.
• The same demographic makes up 44% of monthly US consumers. Globally, 17% of monthly listeners are part-time workers while the US has 12%.

Popular Podcast Shows & Genres

• A stats study found that 22% of Americans prefer comedy to podcasts.
• The second most popular podcast category is news, followed closely by true crime, sports and health & wellness.

Avg. Podcast Episode Length and Frequency

Podcasts don’t have any set rules. However, there are some trends that podcast hosts tend to follow.

As calculated by Buzzsprout, the ranges found in the month of December

Episode Duration:

• >10 minutes 15%
• 10-15 minutes 15%
• 20-40 min 30%
• <40 but >60 minutes 21%
• + sixty mins 18%

The frequency of episodes published:

• Less than two or two days 6%
• Three to seven days 36%
• 44% for eight to fourteen days
• Fifteen to twenty-nine days 17%
• For 30 days or more, 1%.

How is Podcast Discovered?

• Its music lovers who listen to the music on it have many options for finding new content. This is how they get access to the latest podcast.
• Fifty-two point six listeners found new Podcasts searching in a directory of podcasts such as Apple Podcasts.
• 22.1% inquire from their friends for suggestions and 14.5% receive advice from their favorite hosts on podcasts.
• Google search results: 5.5%
• 3.5% are followers of podcasts like visitors who became aware of it on other shows.
• 1.7% of respondents ask for opinions via social media.
• So it would not be wrong to say that the two famous strategies of marketing it is SEO quality and word of mouth.

Podcast Statistics by Platform

The overview of the top Podcast streaming apps in 2023

(Source: demandsage.com)

As of 2023, Spotify has become the most popular Podcast streaming platform as proved by Podcast Statistics by market share. It has captured an overall 33.7% of the market. Compared to other platforms, Podcast Addict has captured only 0.5% of the overall market.

Podcasting Technology

• You will need the right topic, audience, and equipment to create your podcast. Although it sounds simple, it is not. To make the best decision for your podcast, you need to do extensive research.
• The podcasting industry is open to sharing information about the technology that they use. It is crucial to have the best software and equipment to create audio people will enjoy.
• Instead of spending money testing equipment, look at what other people are using and then follow their lead. It can be hard to keep up with changes in software and recording equipment as they change quickly.

Podcast Advertising Trends

• Podcasting can be a powerful marketing tool for small businesses and big brands alike.
• These statistics demonstrate the effectiveness of the medium as an advertising platform.
• 60% of podcast listeners have purchased something via a podcast ad.
• 72% of podcast listeners who have listened for at least four years have bought a sponsored advertisement.
• 69% of respondents believe podcast ads increase awareness of brands, products, and services.
• 81% of respondents say that ads are more important than radio commercials, TV ads, billboards, or television ads. They also pay more attention to digital ads on social networks.
• Podcasting will see an increase in ad revenue to 2 billion by the end of this year.
• Edison Research's Superlisteners 2021 survey revealed the advertising preferences of 1,000 people who listen to at least five hours a week of podcasts. Here's what they found.
• 49% of podcast hosts believe they actually use the products or services they recommend.
• Podcast ads that are prerecorded and not listened to by the podcast host are less popular with Super Listeners.
• 30% stated that it was very important for them to limit their exposure to podcast advertising.
• 22% stated that podcast ads are "way too numerous" compared to other media.
• 51% of respondents said podcast ads are more important than other media.
• It is difficult to reach Super Listeners through traditional advertising. These listeners respond better to the right type and frequency of advertising messages within their favorite podcasts.
• In 2020, podcast advertising will be worth at least 500 million to advertisers in the US.
• Podcast advertising statistics show an increase year-on-year in spending. In 2010, it was 43 million dollars. By 2019, it had reached 420 million. The forecast is that it will surpass half a million dollars by 2020.
• Podcasts are only 1% profitable.
• A podcast must have at least 5k podcast downloads per episode to be attractive to advertisers. This is the minimum, and it requires a part-time income. Podcasts with over 37k episodes are profitable.

Advertise what, where, and when.

• Podcasting advertising is growing rapidly. Most advertisers (89.8%) use podcasts for branding marketing campaigns. Podcast host-read ads account for 63.3%. The majority of ads 62.5.5 can be sold quarterly or annually.
• It is used by 85.7% of podcasters. The cost-per-thousand pricing model is the most popular. Podcasts with a large audience make between $10 and $50 per advertisement for every 1,000 listeners. Pre-roll and mid-roll ads are the most popular types of ads. Podcasts typically run 60-second ads, with 27% running 90-second ads.

• Spotify and Pandora are the two main podcasting platforms in America.
• Listening to podcasts in America is easy with Spotify or Pandora. 43% used Spotify and 35% used Pandora to listen to podcasts at least once. The number of Spotify users aged 12-24 increased by 21% between 2018 and 2019.
• Another podcast study found that 38% listen to podcasts via Apple Podcast Service. Podcasts are most popular on smartphones, which is why there are more than 100 million iPhones.

Podcast Platforms by Popularity

(Source: oberlo.com)

As of 2023, the most popular podcast platform is YouTube (33%) followed by Spotify (24%) and Apple Podcasts (12%). The least popular among them is Sticher with only 1% of users using it.

Podcasting's Future

Podcasting continues to grow at an incredible rate. These are some predictions for the industry in 2022 and beyond.

• Experts expect podcasting to increase in popularity in 2022, as more people listen to on-demand audio.
• According to current estimates, the U.S. listener base could grow from 75.9M to 100 Million by 2024.
• According to forecasts, the total number of podcast listeners will surpass 160,000,000 by 2023
• Podcast popularity is increasing and becoming more mainstream. The number of podcast listeners is expected to increase steadily through 2022.
• Americans 55 and over are listening to podcasts more often than ever.

Barry Elad

Barry is a lover of everything technology. Figuring out how the software works and creating content to shed more light on the value it offers users is his favorite pastime. When not evaluating apps or programs, he's busy trying out new healthy recipes, doing yoga, meditating, or taking nature walks with his little one.

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