Podcasts are no longer just something to listen to, since some of them can be watched too. In fact, in the US, almost a third of regular podcast listeners go to YouTube first and foremost to catch up with their favourite shows.
YouTube is establishing itself as the place to be for podcast creators, according to Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights’ Podcast Download - Spring 2024 Report*, based on research conducted in the US. For more than three in ten respondents (31%), YouTube is their podcast listening platform of choice, ahead of Spotify (21%) and Apple (12%).
In the first quarter of 2024, previous Signal Hill Insights research had already highlighted YouTube's dominance of the podcast world, with 34% of podcast fans already naming the Google-owned platform as their go-to for podcasts. However, Edison's "Podcast Metrics" report put Spotify in the lead, cited by 29% of respondents, compared with 27% for YouTube, again in the first quarter of 2024.
The appeal of video
According to this latest research, the video streaming platform is just as popular with new podcast fans as it is with long-time listeners and the biggest podcast consumers. 31%, or almost a third of weekly podcast listeners, said that they had discovered a new podcast on YouTube in the past six months. This figure drops to 24% for Spotify and 12% for Apple.
But YouTube's trump card is video. Indeed, while 36% of podcast consumers prefer a solely auditory experience, 33% say they like "actively watching" a podcast, and 31% say they prefer to minimize the video in the background while listening to the podcast.
The study points out that new podcast listeners are turning more towards video podcasts, since 37% listen to a podcast with the video window minimized, and 34% "actively watch" filmed podcasts.
While video plays an important role in the platform's appeal, the devices used by listeners are another factor. 38% of YouTube podcast consumers use a computer (21%) or a TV (17%) – devices that favor the video format. Smartphones are preferred by 54% of users.
This usage differs for Apple and Spotify. Mobile is used by a large majority of podcast consumers on these platforms, at 88% for Apple and 79% for Spotify. Computers, televisions and even digital tablets are used far less to listen to podcasts.
It's worth noting that 53% of consumers who listen to and/or watch podcasts on YouTube also do so on other platforms. And 73% of YouTube users would switch platforms if a podcast became exclusive to another application. – AFP Relaxnews
*Study conducted among 603 regular podcast consumers in the USA, from April 19 to 24, 2024.
