Podcasts Rising in Prominence

Spotify didn't pay $100m to bring the Joe Rogan podcast over to its platform without good reason. Not only is the show itself hugely successful, the deal also represents the most high profile in a series of moves towards establishing themselves as one of the top hosts of the medium - one which has really taken off over the past few years. As described in a recent earnings release, which reported a 200 percent annual increase in podcast hours streamed, Spotify said: "We have seen early indications that our investments in podcasts are having a positive impact on conversion of free to paid users".

Broadening the picture of this rise to prominence, AudienceProject data shows that the share of people saying they listen to podcasts on a weekly basis rose across all seven of the markets in which it conducted its 2020 survey. The largest share of listeners was recorded in the United States. The 34 percent in 2020 represents a 17 percent (5 percentage points) increase on 2019's 29 percent. The largest increase was found in Finland where the jump from 16 to 21 percent makes for a 31 percent increase. Sweden, the home of Spotify, saw a rise of 15 percent.