Podcast Listening Surpasses 50% in U.S.
Podcasting now reaches 53% of the U.S. population monthly, a new milestone driven partly by the growth of video podcasts. According to a new Triton Digital report, the format has become a mainstream media channel. In a related move, Apple has launched its own video podcasting feature, directly challenging the dominance of YouTube and Spotify.
- YouTube is the most used platform for podcast consumption, with 33% of weekly U.S. podcast listeners using the service. This dominance in "discoverability" is a key reason why many creators are adopting a "YouTube-first" strategy, designing episodes with visual engagement in mind from the start. - Spotify has seen significant growth in video podcasts, now hosting over 250,000 video shows, a substantial increase from 100,000 in 2023. The number of creators publishing video on the platform each month has grown by nearly 70% year-over-year, with the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico being the largest markets. - Apple's new video podcast feature utilizes HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology, which allows for seamless switching between audio and video playback and automatically adjusts streaming quality based on the user's connection. At launch, hosting providers supporting this new format include Acast, Omny Studio, and SiriusXM-owned Simplecast. - While listenership is growing, podcast advertising revenue growth decelerated in 2023, increasing by 5% to $1.9 billion, a slower pace than the 26% growth seen in 2022. However, the market is projected to rebound to double-digit growth and reach nearly $2.6 billion by 2026. - The demographic profile of podcast listeners is broadening. For instance, the gap in political affiliation among weekly listeners has narrowed significantly; in 2019, there was a 17-point gap between Democrats (40%) and Republicans (23%), which has since closed to a 7-point gap (37% vs. 30%). - Major players have been consolidating the podcasting space through strategic acquisitions. SiriusXM has built an end-to-end platform for creators by acquiring the podcast app Stitcher for up to $325 million, the management platform Simplecast, and the ad-tech firm AdsWizz. - The growth in listenership extends to older demographics, with weekly podcast consumption among Americans aged 55 and over increasing to 27% in 2025, up from 19% in 2024 and 14% in 2023. - Globally, the podcasting industry was valued at $23 billion in 2023 and is projected to exceed $100 billion by 2030. Worldwide, there are over 504 million podcast listeners.
