Study: Spotify, Google Making Inroads Among Podcast Platforms

In America, podcasting has rapidly become a popular medium for both consumers and advertisers. According to Edison Research’s annual Infinite Dial study, monthly podcast listening among Americans has grown +23% – from 26% in 2018 to 32% in 2019. Podcast ad revenues are also soaring. According to the IAB, podcast advertising grew 53% in 2018.

As a major thought leader on podcast listening behavior, trends, and sentiment, Westwood One partnered with Audience Insights Inc. to replicate The Canadian Podcast Listener 2018 for the United States. The new collaborative study powered by Westwood One and Audience Insights Inc. featured only American monthly podcast listeners and was created in conjunction with MARU/Matchbox, a nationally recognized leader in consumer research.

The results, now revealed in the Westwood One and Audience Insights Inc.’s Podcast Download – Spring 2019 Report, is part of the industry-leading Westwood One ROI Guarantee Audio Insights platform. Fielded in March 2019, the report examines the podcast consumption habits of 1,407 monthly podcast listeners and focuses on four distinct segments based on when people began listening to podcasts. These segments include “Podcast Pioneers” who started listening four or more years ago, those who began listening 2-3 years ago, those who began listening in the past 7-12 months, and “Podcast Newcomers” who began listening within the last six months.

The Westwood One blog highlights key takeaways:

• Spotify and Google Podcasts are attracting consumers who recently began listening to podcasts
• A stunning 67% of “Power” podcast listeners (those who listen to 5+ hours per week) follow their favorite podcast hosts on social media
• Podcast listeners equally use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to follow their favorite hosts
• Podcast ads are the least likely to be skipped among all media
• Podcast promotion on AM/FM radio is being noticed
• The number of podcasts being promoted on AM/FM radio is skyrocketing
• The topic and area of interest covered in a podcast is what attracts listeners
• Westwood One Podcast Network offers growing audiences diverse programming options

“This new Podcast Download Report expands on much of what we’ve seen as we put our microscope on Canadian podcast listeners,” says Jeff Vidler, President of Audience Insights Inc. and Study Director of The Canadian Podcast Listener study, with its third annual report scheduled for release this Fall. “Podcasting is uniquely engaging — on trend with on-demand content platforms like Netflix or paid music streaming services, but the only one accessible to advertisers.”