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Listening still Preferred over Watching

The days of podcasting being considered an emerging medium are long gone, with the latest data showing roughly half the Australian population is now consuming a podcast at least every month.

And it’s largely driven by Millennials, according to PodPoll 26 – the annual survey into Australia’s podcast consumption habits, released by podcast production house Deadset Studios and market research firm Insightfully.

In part 1 of the study, 3,472 Australians aged 15+ were surveyed to measure podcast listenership nationwide. Part 2 surveyed 1,646 regular podcast listeners in greater depth.

PodPoll 26 report, Deadset Studios

Podcasts were the fastest-growing audio category tracked in the survey.

“This growth in podcast consumption isn’t evenly spread. It’s being driven disproportionately by Millennials with 71% of them regular consumers of podcasts and by men aged 35–54, whose listenership jumped from 59% to 71% in a single year,” says Kellie Riordan, Director of Deadset Studios.

“For anyone planning campaigns or considering a podcast, that’s a signal to look beyond the usual ‘young listener’ narrative when thinking about who’s actually driving this uptick.”

PodPoll 26 report, Deadset Studios

The survey also found that, among regular consumers, YouTube’s share of podcast consumption has grown from 44% to 55% in a year, while one in ten podcast consumers now say they watch podcasts rather than listen.

Despite the rise of video however, 60% of regular consumers still say they prefer to listen to podcasts than watch them.

The majority of listeners said they seek out podcasts specifically because they don’t require a screen.

Crime, news and current affairs, and comedy remain the nation’s most-consumed genres, but government and politics is now growing faster than any of them.

PodPoll 26 also found screen-free consumption is a genuine motivator: 70% of listeners say they actively seek podcasts out because they don’t require a screen.

“That’s a useful counter to the assumption that younger audiences are purely video-led,” says Riordan.

First published by RadioToday. Read original here