Insight: Podcast Consumption Is Undercounted

Cumulus Media, in partnership with Signal Hill Insights, has released Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights’ Podcast Download – Spring 2024 Report, a comprehensive evaluation of the latest podcast audience trends.

This twelfth edition of the study examining the habits of weekly podcast consumers is part of Cumulus Media’s commitment to share insights and research findings with the podcast community.

 
A key finding uncovered in the Podcast Download Report is that podcast consumption is undercounted due to co-listening that is occurring with friends, family, and children.

 
“Since the dawn of podcast advertising, selling estimates based on downloads, listens, or views never contemplated a device utilized by multiple people,” said Lauren Vetrano, VP, Advertiser Measurement & Insights, Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group®.

“What we have uncovered is that there is actually a fair amount of co-listening to podcasts that takes place. Whether it be with kids, friends, or family, the podcast industry is leaving ears on the table. There is a richer consumption story to be told as it is not just one person per download. For agencies and media planners, being able to examine co-listening by genre or podcast can offer invaluable insights into reaching the true audience.”

 
Another key finding highlighted in the report is how marketers targeting people with a side hustle can find a rich concentration of them among the podcast audience.

 
“Side hustles are a growing phenomenon, and we find that podcast consumers have them, especially heavy podcast consumers and those aged 18 - 34,” said Paul Riismandel, Chief Insights Officer, Signal Hill Insights. “So many of these people are effectively small business owners. At the same time, we’re seeing increasing advertiser interest in this audience segment. This is additional evidence that podcasts are an effective way to reach them.”

 
The Spring 2024 edition reveals valuable insights for content creators and advertisers. Some highlights from the report: 

• Podcast consumption is undercounted thanks to co-listening with friends, family, and children
• Co-listening varies by genre: Podcast genres that are more likely to attract frequent co-listeners include kids/family, rewatch podcasts, and fiction
• Marketers targeting people with a side hustle will find a rich concentration among men, heavy, and 18-34 podcast consumers
• Podcast Pioneers and women like to go back to listen to back episodes and episodes they missed
• YouTube has been the most utilized podcast listening platform in the U.S. over the past year and a half: 31% say it is the platform they use the most, followed by Spotify (21%) and Apple (12%)
• As the world’s entertainment search engine, YouTube is the dominant podcast discovery platform where audiences are more likely to find podcasts

Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights’ Podcast Download – Spring 2024 Report is available in full for download at CumulusPodcastNetwork.com.