蘑菇AV

High audio listenership and time spent this year means limited growth. Subscription revenues will be healthy, as most listeners pay to limit ads. And Spotify will lead in nearly every metric, though several platforms are doing well.

Digital audio consumption continues to grow in the US. Younger audiences are leading the way, adopting platforms like Spotify and audio content like podcasts.

Podcast ad revenues surpassed $2 billion in 2024: As revenues maintain consistent growth, advertisers must tap in to meet audiences where they鈥檙e at.

Podcasts and streaming are boosting digital listenership. Podcasts and streaming music have displaced many traditional radio habits. Most popular talk radio shows that attracted appointment listening in the past are available as podcast downloads. Current affairs, culture, and sports programming are targeting a larger share of listeners digitally rather than over the air.

But YouTube has proved to be incredibly disruptive, having influenced other players in the space to lean into video podcasts. Podcasts are videos, and videos are podcasts. What makes a video a podcast is loosely defined, but the key is that video has become central to many podcasters鈥� outputs. As YouTube鈥檚 viewership figure attests, consumers are overwhelmingly leaning into video.

The news: Spotify鈥檚 Partner Program has opened new monetization paths for video podcasters, enabling MP4 uploads and revenue through ads and subscriptions. Creators like Ryth report earning over $55,000 per month, surpassing YouTube earnings. However, the model doesn鈥檛 support dynamic ads for premium subscribers, prompting networks to hold back. Why it matters: Nearly half of all digital media time is spent on video, and Spotify is betting big on that trend鈥攅specially among Gen Z, who increasingly prefer video-first podcast formats. Our take: Spotify鈥檚 approach may alienate ad-heavy networks for now, but video鈥檚 growth and creator enthusiasm suggest its long-term strategy is sound.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss the battle between linear TV and CTV, one mobile device metric that is going down, and a surprising finding about which age group uses YouTube the most. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Forecasting Writer Ethan Cramer-Flood, and Senior Director of Forecasting Oscar Orozco. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

India was No. 1 for time spent with podcasts. At 1:02 daily, it was 4 minutes ahead of the regional average and 12 minutes above the global average. YoY time spent with podcasts was flat, but it was down 20 minutes from four years ago. Time spent with print press was 50 minutes daily, No. 1 in the region. This was down 11 minutes compared with 2022.