Podcast fans listen to new episodes of their fav shows within a day, study finds

Listeners are particularly devoted to their favourite podcasts, which could be a boon for advertisers, reveals research by Spotify and MAGNA. — Relaxnews

While the podcast market has been booming for over a year, the pandemic has driven many listeners to embrace this kind of audio content.

This new appetite for podcasts is particularly good news for advertisers, as their ads appear to be better perceived in podcasts than in other media formats. From the entertaining to the educational, and from the liberated to the activist, podcasts are drawing more and more listeners around the world.

Screen-related eye strain has a lot to do with it, according to a new study of more than 3,000 Americans conducted by Spotify and MAGNA. More than 70% of those surveyed said that they experienced screen fatigue during the pandemic.

This is something they are fighting against with podcasts. Four out of ten listeners even cited screen fatigue as the primary reason they are listening to more digital audio content.

For Gen Zers, podcasts are above all a new way to connect with others during the pandemic. Baby Boomers, however, see them primarily as a way to de-stress. "There's no doubt the pandemic changed consumption habits and we're clearly seeing audio and podcast listening are extremely popular right now," said Kara Manatt, SVP, Intelligence Solutions, MAGNA.