The Podcast Landscape 2024, the second annual flagship study of American media consumption from Sounds Profitable, reveals that 53% of U.S. adults listened to a podcast within the last month
BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / September 5, 2024 / Sounds Profitable, the trade organization for the podcast industry, recently released its largest study to date, The Podcast Landscape 2024. This project is the second in an annual benchmark series from Sounds Profitable designed to measure podcast consumption in the U.S. as well as monitor platforms, discovery, and perceptions of the medium. The study is the largest publicly available report on podcast consumption in the U.S., with a sample of over 5,000 persons 18+.
The percentage of Americans 18+ who have watched or listened to a podcast
This year's study is the largest Sounds Profitable has ever done and stands as the largest publicly available study of podcast consumption in the U.S. With a sample of over 5,000 Americans 18+, The Podcast Landscape is designed to provide the industry's most reliable audience estimates and directional data. Among the highlights:
Podcasts now reach 53% of Americans 18+ every month - the first report of monthly consumption reaching the majority of adults in the U.S. 37% say they have consumed a podcast within the last week
The medium continues to index highly with 18-54s, and multicultural audiences. In addition, The Podcast Landscape is the first report to provide reliable estimates of Asian-American podcast consumption (62% monthly) and the LGBTQ+ audience (57% monthly consumption)
Women and those 55 years of age and older represent the most significant growth areas for the medium - while the age composition of podcasting has shifted slightly older than it was in 2023, 58% of non-consumers are 55+
Podcasting continues to generate new hits. While Joe Rogan still sits atop any podcast ranker, there are five new entrants among this year's Top 20 Favorite Podcasts
Some of those new favorites have been driven by YouTube podcast consumption, and today YouTube is named as a source for podcast discovery by 52% of podcast consumers, second only to recommendations (56%)
Tom Webster, Partner at Sounds Profitable, noted that "podcasting has changed, with some consumers being audio-first and others video-first, and we are proud to have put forth a study of this scope that appropriately sizes the market."
Gina Garubbo, President and CEO of National Public Media, added, "We appreciate Sounds Profitable taking on this research initiative to give the industry a deeper understanding of the size and growth opportunities for podcasts. We are encouraged by The Podcast Landscape's findings showing the continued growth in podcast listening and the medium becoming fully mainstream. Podcasts continue to be a critical way for NPR to reach and engage with new audiences. NPR News Now and NPR's Up First consistently rank among the most listened-to podcasts in the U.S., as consumers are eager to understand their world, globally, nationally, and locally. We have also seen growing audiences for shows like NPR's Book of the Day and Short Wave, reflecting our audience's appetite for a wide range of content."
Tom de Napoli, Vice President of Revenue Strategy for American Public Media, noted that "Sounds Profitable's latest report is the largest public study of why people do and do not listen to podcasts. This critical information empowers public media organizations like APM to keep up with where the audience is and where they are going."
The study also contains invaluable information about the reasons for churn and ways to improve conversion from podcasting trial to regular usage. The study was conducted in partnership with Signal Hill Insights and is made possible through the support of Wondery, American Public Media, ESPN Podcasts, BetterHelp, SiriusXM Podcast Network, LibsynAds, Paramount, and NPR.
The full report, including an online presentation of the results, can be found here: https://soundsprofitable.com/research/the-podcast-landscape-2024/
About Sounds Profitable
Sounds Profitable is the leading voice of significance for the digital audio industry. Founded in 2020 by advertising and technology veteran, Bryan Barletta, and digital audio expert, Tom Webster, Sounds Profitable offers a range of educational resources and advisory services to the podcasting sector. Featuring pioneering research, a newsletter with more than 8,500 subscribers, five daily podcasts, and a weekly, forward-thinking podcast covering the essential news of podcasting, Sounds Profitable equips individuals and brands with the tools needed to level up their knowledge, effectively monetize content, and ultimately grow the entire industry into an inclusive space that financially supports corporations and independents alike. With its 150 partners and growing, Sounds Profitable is committed to setting the course for the future of the audio business. For more information, please visit soundsprofitable.com and follow along on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/sounds-profitable.
Contact Information:
Tom Webster
Partner
tom@soundsprofitable.com
SOURCE: Sounds Profitable
View the original press release on newswire.com.
