40% of Podcast Listeners Plan on Increasing Consumption

Seven in ten podcast listeners spend six or more hours each week listening to podcasts, and a sizable number expects their listening habits will grow. In established markets including the U.S., a survey by Acast finds 38% of podcast listeners think they will spend even more time with the medium in the coming six months. But it is a worldwide tide. The new global podcast listener report from Acast reveals that over 95% of podcast listeners expect to spend the same amount of time, or even more, listening to podcasts in the next six months.

Acast CEO Ross Adams credits that to the vast array of content available in podcasting, where it can serve as a sort of antidote to the short-form world filled with doom scrolling.

“It highlights the uniqueness of the medium and the relationship — and that they’re going to spend more time with it highlights that there is a wealth yet to be discovered within podcasting, and what the medium itself is doing to people’s mental health well-being, and the relationship they have with it is incredibly positive,” he said. “These are the kind of signals you need for more and more advertisers to start coming into the space. You don’t hear that with any other media. So we’re in a very special space.”

According to the survey results, in both emerging and established markets podcasts have among the highest engagement rates of any tested medium. Eight in ten listeners overall say they are engaged or highly engaged when listening to podcasts. In the U.S. specifically, listener attention is more fleeting as more than 40% of respondents said they are highly engaged when listening to podcast content. Yet that is higher than the 26% who say the same for radio.

That engagement translates into consumption for the ads in the podcasts. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of those surveyed said they listen to or watch the podcast ads half the time or more. That is translating into sales for marketers. In the U.S., half of podcast listeners say they have made a purchase because of a podcast ad, including a third who have done so more than once.

The report says daily podcast listeners in emerging markets like India, Brazil and Japan already are more likely than those in established markets to have made a purchase because of a podcast ad. Acast sees big ad-spend growth potential in those up-and-coming parts of the globe as consumption rises.

Adams says the data not only shows that podcast habits have held as the medium has spread to new corners of the world, but also how quickly the emerging markets are catching up to what has already occurred in more established markets like the U.S. “Emerging markets learn from new markets, and trends do follow the same trends, but in general, they happen quicker,” he said.

Listening While Shopping

Podcasters are well aware that listeners consume shows while driving, doing chores, or relaxing. But the survey points to another habit that could have implications for advertisers. It finds that 14% of podcast listeners in established markets like the U.S. say they are listening to a show while actually shopping. That is most likely primarily online or mobile shopping, not in-store headphone wearing, but it still offers an opportunity for the medium to sell itself as a way to reach shoppers close to purchase.

Acast’s survey finds that among those listeners, they are 50% more likely to listen to podcast ads all the time, and they are 82% more likely to have made a purchase multiple times based on a podcast ad they have heard.

“These are all new trends that are really interesting for podcast hosts to learn, because it might change the approach they make to advertising,” Adams said. “This research highlights that there are a growing trend of people taking that medium with them. And so actually, from a retailer’s point of view, to be able to advertise whilst people are doing actual shopping, and that’s a real advantage over most mediums.”

The report also points to a growing opportunity for podcasters to go live. It says a third of U.S. podcast listeners have already attended a live podcast event, while half (51%) of listeners in emerging markets are interested in doing the same. It also says that co-listening to podcasts is more common in emerging markets, which could offer advertisers new ways to maximize their reach.

Video Leads Discovery

The survey also reveals the rapid spread of video podcast consumption around the globe. Because YouTube is the platform that listeners most commonly use to listen to podcasts in emerging markets, Acast says listeners in emerging markets (71%) are just as likely as listeners in established markets (72%) to have watched a video podcast. It also reports that consumers that have watched a video podcast are significantly more likely than those who have not to agree that their favorite podcasters feel like their friends.

“Video is a big part of podcasting. I don’t think it’s necessarily changing the entire approach to it, but I think it’s clear that people are discovering podcasts through video,” Adams said. “Therefore, as recommendations are still relatively broken in podcasting, video is going to play a bigger part in in podcasting, but more so from the discovery side of things.”

The ability to listen to content created anywhere in the world is one of podcasting’s appeals, but some countries are more outward looking than others. Acast says Canadians are most likely to listen to shows from beyond their borders, with two-thirds (68%) often listening to a show from a country they don’t live in. That compares to 37% for U.S. listeners.

Acast’s report is based on data collected during August by Attest of 2,600 weekly podcast listeners aged 18-64 in 13 countries, with at least 200 weekly listeners in each country.

Download the full report HERE.