As we dive headfirst into the new year, it's crucial for marketers to explore the emerging trends and advancements that will shape the podcasting landscape in 2024. Stay up to date on the latest stories from the industry including tech developments, statistics, industry sales, acquisitions and the latest trends for the industry. Read on for podcasting advice and predictions from industry experts, find out which streaming network just cut 35% of its staff, read the latest update in interactive audio ads, who won the top gongs at the Australian Podcast Awards, Plus, the current top 10 Australian podcasts and advertisers and a sneak peak into a brand new political thriller podcast which will change the game very soon.
Zach Kahn (Ex Apple Podcasts) Shares his 2024 Podcasting Wishlist
He advises “Make shorter shows”, “launch fewer bigger shows” he suggests, “trust your gut”, and “let the past die”.
Dark Shining Moment - a New Podcast from Ranieri & Co. Launching Soon
In February 2024, Ranieri & Co. will release their forth original podcast, Dark Shining Moment. The series explores the story of how Russia exploited the internet to interfere in America’s 2016 election, altering history and helping to create the world we live in today.
Did you know that in 2026, Russian bots on Twitter were responsible for more than 3.8 million tweets, about 19% of the total tweets related to the 2016 US presidential election?
Dark Shining Moment goes behind the story to connect the dots between the events of 2016 and the present, illustrating how the actions of that pivotal year continue to shape the geopolitical world we live in today.
Story written and narrated by: Chris Zappone, Executive Producer: Greg Muller, Consulting Producer: Richard Baker, Production Manager: Nick Randall, Sound Design: Marty Peralta.
Stay tuned for more details.
Amazon’s Twitch to Cut 500 Employees, About 35% of Staff
In the announcement, CEO Dan Clancy noted that Twitch paid out over $1 billion to streamers last year, remarking that “while the Twitch business remains strong, for some time now the organization has been sized based upon where we optimistically expect our business to be in 3 or more years, not where we’re at today.”
Get the full scoop: The Verge
Max Cutter (ex-Spotify) has Released his 2024 Podcast Predictions
He predicts that “podcasts are primed for substantial recognition and investment in the streaming landscape….In this ever-evolving media environment, aligning with creators will be the key to success in 2024. We will see the launch of more management-like companies and talent agency consolidations, and increased creator fandom will propel the experience economy to new heights.”
Read more: LinkedIn
Amazon Smart Speakers Now Have Interactive Audio Ads
The service lets you ask your smart speaker for more information on the ad you’ve just heard, or even to add the product to your shopping cart without ever leaving the streaming audio content.
According to a recent study conducted by Amazon Ads and Kantar, audio streamers are 75% more likely to respond to an ad when the ad has a voice-command. Kantar also found that interactive audio ads achieved higher consideration (1.3x) and purchase intent (2.3x) compared to standard audio creatives.
Find out more: Podnews
The owners of SoundCloud, one of the world's largest music streaming services, are preparing for a sale that could fetch in excess of $1bn.
Founded in 2007, SoundCloud provides artists with the tools to build their careers by providing them with an online home to publish their work.
Read more: Billboard
Australia’s Latest Podcast Charts
The following podcasts are currently leading the space in listenership (as of January 2024).
The Joe Rogan Experience
Huberman Lab (Scicomm Media)
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett (DOAC)
We Mean Well (Shane Keith Productions)
The Mel Robbins Podcast (Mel Robbins)
This Past Weekend (This Past Weekend)
Toni and Ryan
Basically Besties
Do You F*cking Mind?
On Purpose with Jay Shetty (iHeartPodcasts)
Find out more: Chartable
The Australian Podcast Awards 2023: Winners
The highest honour of the night, Podcast of The Year, has been awarded to the powerful True Crime podcast The Lawyer, the Sniper & NSW Police.
Podcast Champion was awarded to APA multi year award winners Laura Byrne and Brittany Hockley’s Life Uncut.
Listeners’ Choice went to mum and daughter duo Kat and Latisha Clark’s Basically Besties.
The ever-growing popularity of business, finance and ‘money saving’ audio shows saw multi-nominated ‘She’s On The Money’ take the coveted top spot of the Business podcasts.
All winners here: Australian Podcast Awards
105 Million Podcasts Downloaded in Australia in November
A record 105.2 million podcasts were downloaded last month as measured by the Australian Podcast Ranker, partly due to the addition of the ABC.
ABC has debuted on the Australian Podcast Ranker as third biggest publisher, behind ARN and SCA. The highest placed ABC podcast is Conversations at #5 with 538,786 listeners last month, followed by ABC News Daily at #9 and If You’re Listening at #24.
Read more: Ad News
Headliner finds that Podcasters #1 Benefit from AI is to Save Time
From 248 podcasters surveyed, 32% of write-ins said AI helps save time and increases work productivity. Podcasters use AI at every step of the “pod-motional” process: Promotion (47%), Creation (29%), and Editing (24%).
Find out more: Headliner
Top 15 brands Advertising on Australian podcasts for Q3 2023
The report, which uses Artificial Intelligence to analyse thousands of episodes from 400+ of Australia‘s most popular podcasts, determines the top brands advertising in this medium.Overall, Q3 spending on Australian podcast advertising grew by 88% from this time last year.
The Top 10:
Amazon
BetterHelp
Takeaway.com group
Maquarie Bank
Airbnb
Kimberley-Clark
L’Oreal
Uber
Nib
Optus
Read more: Radio Today
2024 is set to be the biggest year ever for podcasts. Need more help understanding the podcast industry? For more analysis, insights, and commentary on the growing podcast industry, sign up to our newsletter or feel free to contact us anytime.