According to new findings from Edison Research, podcasting is experiencing a robust upswing in both listener numbers and engagement levels. The Infinite Dial report indicates a surge in the percentage of weekly US listeners age 12 and older. In a span of seven years, from 2014 to 2021, this percentage has catapulted from a modest 8% to 31%.
Complementing these findings, Edison’s Share of Ear report provides an analysis of time spent by Americans on various audio forms. This report discloses that the average daily time Americans age 13 and older spent listening to podcasts has seen a significant jump. In 2014, the average daily podcast listening time was just 5.6 minutes. Fast forward to today, and that number has leaped to 25.5 minutes, a more than fourfold increase.
To tie this together, data emerged from the Share of Ear report that shows the average daily listening time among podcast aficionados has remained remarkably constant over the years. Back in 2014, a smaller but highly engaged group of podcast listeners reported an average of 104.1 minutes of daily listening. Today, even with a substantially larger listener base, the average daily listening time clocks in at nearly the same: 104.9 minutes.
The data suggests that as the podcast listener base has expanded, and the medium’s influence and ability to command attention has not been watered down, suggesting it is an essential medium for advertisers and content creators to consider.
