The popularity of podcasts is booming! In the UK over 15 million people now regularly tune into their favourite host and series, from daily news bites and celebrity, to more specialist areas of interest, you can guarantee there is a podcast production to suit all tastes!
And this trend is predicted to only excel further in growth, with experts suggesting that by 2024 this number will topple over 19 million, with the demographics of listeners truly encompassing all ages. Interestingly however, it is 26 to 35-year-olds that make up the majority of podcast listeners in the UK, followed by those aged 15 to 25. So not the older demographic that you may assume! With comedy, television and music podcasts being the most popular shows within this crowd.
With such a surge in demand, it was clear that much like popular social media platforms, it wouldn’t take long for podcasts to be monetised. And with further growth forecasted for the future, podcasts are an area where brands and advertisers are increasingly shifting their marketing budgets towards.
Expenditure for podcasts has tripled since 2017 in the UK, and is now estimated to hit £33.5 million in 2021. In line with the predicted audience growth, this figure is set to surpass £75 million.
So why is podcast marketing proving so popular? Research shows that 9% of listeners have purchased a product that was advertised by a sponsor in a podcast, and 17% have bought a product that the podcasters talked about.
As podcasts tend to be very specific to a certain topic or audience, and generally they are found by recommendation or word of mouth, the promotion of a product within a podcast is proving incredibly trusted. So with the popularity of podcasts in the rise, maybe 2021 is the year to shift some of that social budget into the podcasting arena!
QUICK STATS
- Most popular activity while listening to podcasts? Driving
- Share of podcast listening on smartphones? 79%
- Main reason for listeners to choose a podcast? Description is engaging
- Main reason for listeners to not finish a podcast? Not engaging enough
- Average ad spend per podcast listener in the UK? £2.31
- Share of listeners who think ads are the best way to keep podcasts free? 41%
- Share of media and ad agencies that plan to increase investment in podcast advertising? 75%
THE UK’s TOP 10 MOST POPULAR PODCASTS
- Sh**ged Married Annoyed
- Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster
- The Receipts Podcast
- JaackMaate’s Happy Hour
- Call Her Daddy
- My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
- That Peter Crouch Podcast
- No Such Thing As A Fish
- Last Podcast On The Left
- The Girls Bathroom
SOURCES
Podcasts in the UK // Published by Statista Research Department, Oct 16, 2020
Most popular podcasts in the UK 2020 // Published by Finder.com, Oct 2020
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