YouTube Gains as Podcast Listening Platform
New data from Triton Digital indicates a shift in podcast consumption habits, with listenership declining on Spotify and Apple Podcasts while rising on YouTube. The trend suggests that audiences are increasingly turning to the video platform for podcast content. This change in platform preference has implications for where brands and agencies allocate their audio and creator-based advertising budgets.
- From 2022 to 2025, the percentage of monthly podcast listeners who named Apple Podcasts as their preferred platform fell from 15.7% to 11.3%. In the same period, Spotify's preference share fluctuated, ending at 24.6% in 2025, down from its high of 26.6% in 2024. - YouTube has seen a steady increase in preference among monthly podcast listeners, growing from 28.1% to 37.7% between 2022 and 2025, making it the most preferred platform. As of the fourth quarter of 2024, 33% of weekly podcast listeners aged 13 and up chose YouTube as their most used service for podcasts. - The growth of video podcasts is a significant factor in this shift, with 42% of weekly podcast listeners in the U.S. preferring to watch a podcast as of April 2025, up from 30% in April 2022. In fact, 89% of weekly Gen Z podcast listeners consume video podcasts. - Demographic data reveals distinct audiences for each platform: Spotify attracts a younger audience, with 49% of users in the 18-34 age group naming it their top platform. Apple Podcasts' audience tends to have a higher income, while YouTube's audience skews more male. - The number of worldwide podcast listeners is projected to grow to 619.2 million in 2026, up from 584.1 million in 2025. This growing audience is increasingly discovering new podcasts through YouTube's search and recommendation algorithms. - Podcast ad spending is projected to reach $4.46 billion in 2025 and is forecasted to hit $5.03 billion by 2027. This growth is supported by data showing that 88% of weekly podcast consumers agree that hearing ads is a fair price for free content. - The move to video is also influencing content creators and other platforms; by 2023, 85% of companies were recording video for their podcasts, and streaming services like Netflix are beginning to explore video podcasts as a cost-effective way to produce engaging content. - Despite the rise of video, audio remains the primary way people consume podcasts. A 2025 study found that while 40% of podcast consumers use YouTube as their primary app, nearly half of them consume the content as audio-only.
