• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, June 1, 2007

35 to 54's Index Above Average as Podcast Audience

According to a comScore study, sponsored Ad Infuse, males represented a significantly larger share (63 percent) of the iTunes podcasting audience than did females (37 percent).  In addition, 18-24 year olds represented a substantial share of the audience (29 percent) and were more than twice as likely as the average Internet user to download podcasts.  People between the ages of 35-54 represented about half of the podcasting audience and were also more likely than average to download podcasts.

Nick Tabbal, comScore senior vice president of media and entertainment solutions, said "...while the conventional wisdom says that only young, tech-savvy consumers are downloading and listening to podcasts, there is also a sizable market among 35-54 year olds, indicating that the audience is broader than previously thought."

Demographic Profile for iTunes Podcasting Audience(October 2006)
Demographic	Total Internet	Total Podcast Audience	Total Podcast Audience Index
Gender
Male	51%	63%	125
Female	49%	37%	74
Age
18-24	14%	29%	203
25-34	20%	14%	68
35-44	24%	27%	113
45-54	22%	23%	103
55-64	13%	5%	41
65+	6%	2%	29
Source: comScore, Inc., May 2007

Total Podcast Audience Index = 100 x (total podcast audience/total Internet); Index of 100 represents parity

comScore also examined the household income and education levels of the iTunes podcasting audience, revealing that consumption of podcasts increased with both income and education.  In particular, those individuals in households making at least $100,000 annually were 28 percent more likely than average to download podcasts, while college graduates were 25 percent more likely.

Demographic Profile for Podcasting Audience(October 2006)
Demographic	Total Internet	Total Podcast Audience	Total Podcast Audience Index
Household Income
Less than $25,000	9%	7%	78
$25,000-$50,000	21%	16%	77
$50,000-$75,000	29%	27%	95
$75,000-$100,000	17%	19%	109
$100,000+	24%	31%	128
Education Level
High School	28%	25%	89
Some College/Assoc Degree	34%	28%	82
College/Graduate Degree	37%	47%	125
Source: comScore, Inc., May 2007

Mr. Tabbal goes on to say "It's not surprising that podcasts today appeal to the more educated and higher-income consumer segments, since many of the top podcasts are in the educational and business genres... it's probably just a matter of time before significant advertising dollars begin to flow toward this medium."

For more information from comScore, please visit here.