Stitcher Podcasting Report Reveals a Decade of Growth

RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, May 28, 2020

Stitcher

Stitcher has released the "Stitcher Podcasting Report," a look at the evolution and growth of podcasting over the past 10 years, including what Stitcher's COVID-19 listener data could mean for the industry's future growth. The company says the report represents the industry's only analysis of in-app data, network content and listener demographics from Stitcher, which found that the growth of podcasts is not slowing down. The number of podcasts published to Stitcher has grown more than 129,000% since 2010.

The report's findings included:

• Some states carry more listening weight: The state of Washington, for example, ranks No. 4 in listening hours, despite being No. 13 in highest population.

• Streaming remains popular: Two-thirds of podcasts are streamed rather than downloaded.

• The rise of the mini-series: Mini-series podcasts grew from four in 2010 to more than 52,000 in 10 years. From "Serial" in 2014 to top shows including "The Dream" and "Chernobyl," listeners are tuning in to learn about history, legends and behind-the-curtain truths.

• Episodes are trending shorter: The average podcast episode length has shortened by 2.4 minutes since 2013.

• Gen X is dedicated: Though the 18-34 age group makes up the largest chunk of listeners, the 35-55 age group is more dedicated based on listening hours and the number of shows they've added to their favorites.

• Bouncing back amid COVID-19: While listening decreased during weekday commuting hours, the second half of April began to show a return to pre-pandemic levels of listening patterns.

"Like Stitcher, podcast listening has been growing strong for over a decade now, and we wanted to take a moment and reflect on the diversity of tastes and consumption habits that have driven that growth," said Stitcher CEO Erik Diehn. "The data we found reinforce our belief that the unique, intimate appeal of podcasting makes its fans the most loyal and passionate of any medium."

As the industry continues to adapt to changes in consumer behavior during the coronavirus pandemic, the report includes an analysis of COVID-19-related listening patterns.

"The podcast industry has shown its resiliency and ability to be nimble as hosts made a swift transition from recording studios to home, keeping a steady cadence of new episodes," said Diehn. "And even as day-to-day life has been transformed, people continue to turn to trusted and beloved shows and hosts to be informed and uplifted."

The report also includes data from the Stitcher app and Stitcher's PodSurvey, the industry's largest ongoing survey of podcast listeners, unveiling the top shows and genres, listener demographics, regional distinctions and more.

Other findings include:

Content: Shows such as "This American Life" and "The Daily" continue to attract listeners and advertisers from the coasts to middle America. As the industry has evolved, more content has emerged for listeners of all ages, backgrounds and interests.

• Unlimited options: Nearly 7 million episodes were published to Stitcher in 2019 alone.

• Crime is king: True crime podcasts lead in total listening and binge-listening hours in 2019, followed by comedy podcasts and then news and politics.

• Oldies but goodies grow: When ranked by number of listeners, 17 shows that were in the top 100 in 2010 were still in the top 100 in 2019.

States with the most listening hours:

1. California: 15+ million listening hours

2. Texas: 7+ million listening hours

3. New York: 7+ million listening hours

4. Washington: 5+ million listening hours

5. Illinois: 4+ million listening hours

The full report including all the industry and listener behavior data is now available here.