• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, December 18, 2024

Despite some isolated complaints that podcasts are not as hot as they were, the medium had a pretty good year in 2024, with many advances, judging by a report from Acast.  

Here are five trends that Acast identified while compiling its 2024 trends report:

1. Podcast audiences have moved beyond audio to video—In 2024, 84% of listeners watched a podcast in video form, versus 80% in 2023.  
2. Listeners are using social media to find new content—The study notes that “algorithm-based platforms like TikTok and Instagram took a back seat to others like Reddit and YouTube.”  For instance, 58% of podcast listeners discovered a new podcast on YouTube, up from 52% in 2023. And 31% found new podcast on Reddit, compared to 31% last year. 
3. Audiences are more accepting of AI—This year, 55% are open to podcast creators using AI to improve quality. But publishers have to be “very thoughtful about the way they use the technology in their podcast creation,” Acast notes.‍
4. Podcasts are playing a greater role in politics—51% of audience admit that a podcast changed the way they think about a political issue, while 44% said so in 2023. In addition, 47% changed the way they think about a political candidate, an 44% increase from last year. Moreover, 37% agreed that a political ad on a podcast changed their views about a political candidate or issue, an increase over the 28% recorded in 2023. 
5. Audiences are engaged with podcast advertising—60% found podcast ads relevant to their interests, a 2% improvement over 2023. And 63% feel the ads have high production quality, another increase of 2% from 2023. 

advertisement

advertisement