Report: Gen Z Leads Video Podcasting, Despite Conflicting Survey

According to a new report by Coleman Insights and Amplifi Media, 90% of Gen Z podcast consumers engage with video in some form. This contrasts with a recent report on the podcast enjoyment habits of younger audiences as the medium hits record growth.

Coleman and Amplifi found only 10% say they consume podcasts using audio alone. The data suggests a transformation in consumption habits, with Gen Z driving the industry toward a hybrid model that blends audio and visual content.

 The study indicates that 31% of Gen Z listeners mostly consume audio but occasionally watch video, while another 30% mostly watch video but sometimes listen.

Another 22% said they consume both formats equally, showing a broad comfort level with mixed media content.

This goes against a separate survey conducted by Transistor.fm in February that raised eyebrows for telling a different story. Their research showed that 76% of Gen Z respondents prefer audio-only podcasts. Only 6% said they primarily consume video podcasts, while 18% reported listening through both formats. The Transistor.fm study also points to Spotify as the platform of choice for younger podcast listeners, with 56% of respondents citing it as their preferred app.

In Amplifi and Coleman’s corner, Edison Podcast Metrics data from Q4 2024 shows YouTube leads Spotify and Apple Podcasts as the platform used most often to listen to podcasts, contributing to the rise of video podcasts. Among weekly US podcast listeners aged 13 and older, 33% say they use YouTube most frequently for podcast listening.

The Edison data reflects these broader trends seen across the industry, including the rapid rise of video podcasting and a continued move toward visual-first platforms. In the past year, podcasting reached a new benchmark, with 55% of Americans now listening to podcasts on a monthly basis – the first time that over half the US population is consistently tuning into the medium.

Amplifi Media CEO Steven Goldstein and Coleman Insights Vice President Jay Nachlis will present the full State of Video Podcasting 2025 findings on April 3 at Podcast Movement 2025.