Back in 2019, we presented a two-part series on podcasts soaring (1, 2). Now, we will look at the popularity of podcasts in 2021 and beyond.
“Podcasting is a free service that allows Internet users to pull audio files (typically MP3s) from a podcasting Web site to listen to on their computers or other connected devices. The term comes from a combination of the words iPod (a personal digital audio player made by Apple) and broadcasting. Even though the term is derived from the iPod, you don’t need an iPod to listen to a podcast. You can use virtually any portable media player or your computer.
New Data on the Popularity of Podcasts in 2021 and Beyond
The 18 countries include a vast majority of the largest podcast markets in the world. This cohort also comprises nearly all the core nations for podcast marketability, monetization, and advertising.
Our major findings include:
- Podcasts are most popular in English-speaking and English-proficient countries.
- North America and Asia-Pacific have the most podcast listeners, but very different levels of adoption among their populations.
- Several emerging markets are growing their podcast listener base rapidly, particularly in Latin America.
In addition, learn about future trends from the following chart.