Podcasting Keeps Growing

Edison Research is one of the top research firms in the country, and they've just come out with a report about the status of podcasting nationwide. From Inside Radio this morning...

Edison Research VP of Strategy and Marketing Tom Webster hosted a Tuesday webinar—with partner Triton Digital—that dug in deep to define the ever-expanding U.S. podcast audience and their listening habits..

“Content is not king; the consumer and the audience are king. There are huge potential audiences for new forms of spoken media—so let’s not rely on received wisdom too much,” Webster said. “There is so much room for mainstream content and new forms of content, with tremendous range and a variety of forms for this powerful medium to reach average Americans.”

From there, it was a numbers game, showcasing how podcasting continues to grow, while also showing just who is listening—and how much. Awareness of the term continues to spike after being fairly flat for the previous five-plus years. In 2017, 60% of those 12+ knew “podcasting.” And 40% of respondents have tuned in to a podcast—up from 36% in 2016 and 11% in 2006. Today, that equates to 112 million consumers.

In addition, 24% say they tune in to podcasts on a monthly basis. That is up 3 percentage points from 2016, up 7% since 2015, up 10% since 2012 and up 15% since 2008. “Podcasting has never been a hockey stick growth medium—but we are seeing a lot of [steady] growth now,” Webster noted.