As the podcast industry matures, it's crucial for media buyers and marketers to stay aware of the latest trends in this ever-evolving landscape, both locally and globally. In this blog post we will dissect the most recent developments, trends and news to provide invaluable insights for professionals looking to harness the full potential of this medium. Find out what new study has revealed two-thirds of women make household purchasing decisions, the latest consumption and ad numbers, which podcasts are topping the Australian lists and which are reaching those with the highest household income. Plus we look at exciting new podcasts from striking late-show hosts, a new locally produced reality documentary series tackling loneliness and an Apple podcast that’s being turned into a TV show.
Women are calling the shots as budgets tighten
Mamamia has released a new longitudinal study, The State of Australian Women. According to the study, Two-thirds of women across generations are shouldering the burden of managing the household’s budget through inflationary times.
Mamamia also announced a string of new podcasts focused on topics that are either taboo or frankly, not talked about enough. This includes a podcast called Parachute which is solely focused around grief, one on wellbeing called Well, another on health issues – Dear Doctor, and two more on parenting.
More: Mediaweek
Young Australians are becoming more lonely
1 in 3 Australians are experiencing loneliness and it's a worldwide issue. Introducing We Are Lonely, a reality documentary with heart, drawing on real stories and real solutions, connecting young people with experts and industry leaders who will help them build strategies to reconnect. In this six-part series, we understand the reality of loneliness in Australia, experienced by a generation that theoretically has never been more connected.
Listen Now: We Are Lonely
Australians lead world when it comes to podcast listening
According to this year’s Infinite Dial Australia report – a study exploring the country’s digital audio listening trends – about 43 per cent of the population aged 12 and over listened to a podcast in the past month. The figure translates to 9 million people.
This was higher than the total reported in the US version of the Infinite Dial study, which found 42 per cent of Americans tuned into a podcast over the same period.
Australians are also listening to podcasts more frequently: the proportion of people who listened to podcasts weekly rose from 26 percent to 33 percent year on year.
More: SMH
Global podcast downloads are going up
Total Global Downloads for the Top 20 publishers were up 7% month-over-month and flat year-over-year, reported Podtrac. The average US Unique Monthly Audience for the Top 20 publishers was up 13% month-over-month.
Read More: Podtrac
Podcasts that index highest for household income over $100k
Edison Research released the shows with the highest concentration of listeners in households earning $100,000+. Gimlet and The Wall Street Journal’s The Journal is #1.
Each podcast listed has well over half of their listeners in households with more than $100,000 annual income. Most are in the money and business genre.
Find out more: Edison
Podcast ad spend grows by 3% in Q3.
Magellan AI says podcast advertising managed to eke out some growth in advertising revenue during the third quarter. The quarterly report says average podcast ad loads shrank during Q3, while 1,878 new brands came into the medium.
Read more: Inside Radio
The 4 biggest trends from Podcast Movement 2023
What can we learn from Podcast Movement—the world’s largest gathering of the podcast industry?
The rise of women in podcasting. With three in four of them tuning in while completing various tasks, brands can reach these young, smart, successful consumers at almost any time of the day.
Comedy is the #1 genre—and it's changed. There are over 28M comedy podcast listeners and 80% of them say comedy podcasts make them feel like they are a part of a community.
Podcasts + TikTok = driving pop culture. As one of the world’s most popular social media apps, it only makes sense that TikTok can be a powerful tool to help podcasters drive their listenership.
Audio > visual mediums. With 183M people, 64% of the U.S. population, having ever listened to a podcast, we’re finding that audio ads are outperforming visual mediums.
More: SXM Media
Apple is developing a TV show based on the Siegfried & Roy podcast.
Podcasting is proving to be a two-way street inside Apple, at least when it comes to show development. The company is developing a TV show based on the Wild Things: Siegfried & Roy podcast.
Explore: Inside Radio
The British Podcast Awards announced this year's award nominations.
The final shortlist for the British Podcast Awards 2023 Listeners Choice Awards have been announced. They are… Help I Sexted My Boss (Audio Always, Acast); RedHanded (Wondery); Live, Laugh, Love - Ladbaby (Global); The Girls Bathroom (Sophia & Cinzia, Acast); and Staying Relevant (Sam Thompson & Pete Wicks, Insanity Studios, Bauer Media).
Get the full scoop: British Podcast Awards
Spotify loosens its grip on exclusive podcasts
The new season of Gimlet’s Science Vs will be available across platforms. It’s a big change for the studio, which has chafed under Spotify’s exclusivity model.
Additional insights: The Verge
Striking late-night hosts create podcast
Spotify has partnered with late-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver to launch Strike Force Five. The proceeds will go to benefit the staff of their shows, who have also been out of work due to the ongoing Hollywood strike.
More: Spotify
Australian podcast ranker for August 2023
The top three podcasts included Hamish & Andy (LiSTNR (SCA)) again at #1, Casefile True Crime (Audioboom) again at #2, and Mamamia Out Loud (Mamamia) again at #3.
New - Out Of The Ordinary (Podshape), Dying Rose (News Corp Australia), The Shameless Book Club (Shameless Media), and more debuted in the 150 Australian-Made Ranker.
A closer look: Triton Digital
For more analysis, insights, and commentary on the growing podcast industry, sign up to our newsletter or feel free to contact us anytime.