Report: YouTube Most Accessed Destination for Podcasts

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, July 8, 2024 | 3:14pm CT

Cumulus Media and Signal Hill

For the twelfth edition of the Podcast Download series, Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights retained MARU/Matchbox to conduct an in-depth study of 603 weekly podcast consumers from April 19-24, 2024. Two studies are conducted annually. The Spring 2024 Report highlights trends from prior studies and examines topics such as platform preference, content trends, perceptions of brand safety and content appropriateness and more.

This week's Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog analyzes YouTube as the most accessed destination for podcasts.

• YouTube is the most utilized podcast listening platform in the U.S.: 31% say it is the platform they use the most, followed by Spotify (21%) and Apple (12%)

• YouTube is used most among Podcast Newcomers, Podcast Pioneers, and heavy podcast consumers

• YouTube podcast audience profile: Male and younger than the Apple Podcasts audience

• As the world's entertainment search engine, YouTube is the dominant podcast discovery platform where audiences are more likely to find podcasts

• Those who discover a podcast on YouTube say they stick with the platform for video, comments, community, entertainment, recommendations, and platform features

• However, the YouTube podcast audience is not exclusively tied to the platform

• Watching and listening to podcasts are equally favored

• Podcast Newcomers are more likely to prefer actively watching podcast videos; Those who began listening to podcasts 4 years ago favor the audio-only experience

• YouTube dominates association as the platform where podcasts can be watched and heard

• Not all genres work for watchable podcasts: Consumers who prefer to watch are more likely to like News/Current Events and Sports podcasts; Among those who prefer to listen, True Crime is the leading podcast genre

• The vast majority of the Apple and Spotify platform audience uses the smartphone, while 38% of YouTube's podcast audience uses laptops and TV