According to new research from The Diffusion Group in the USA, 11% of adult broadband users listen to podcasts at least once per month. They predict that by 2012 this number will more than double to 24% of broadband users.
While the audience for podcasting continues to expand, TDG identifies two specific factors that are keeping a lid on usage:
- podcasting continues to be perceived as too complex for average consumers to use
- they remain unaware of the quantity and quality of content available for podcast consumption.
Other key findings in the report include the following:
- Among those that listen to podcasts at least once per month, 68% use a portable device while 49% listen to them on a PC;
- On average, users listen to 5.4 podcasts per month on a portable device and 4.7 on a PC;
- On average, those who subscribe to podcast services are signed up for 4.1 different feeds; and 70% of users rely on iTunes to access podcasts.
Podcasts are free, and will remain so. But a growing audience for them means greater marketing reach for publishers who use them creatively around their products.
There is also a growing market for ‘paid-for podcasts’ – otherwise known as audiobooks. As previously reported, the Audio Publishers Association (APA) have an ambitious target to double the size of the UK market from £75m to £150m within three years.
There is a revival in audio content. People are listening. You have their attention. Audio fits busy lifestyles, and you don’t even need an iPod. Those publishers who are also listening, to their markets, know that this is a form of content worth exploiting.
