Infinite Dial Canada 2018: Podcasting has a firm base in Canada favoring at-home listening

Podcasting has built a solid following in Canada, and listenership is keeping pace with the format’s progress in the United States. The Infinite Dial Canada found that 61% of Canadian adults are familiar with podcasting, tracking even with 64% familiarity reported in the U.S. survey. The age 35-54 group had the highest awareness at 70%.

When examining Canadian listening habits, the younger demographics were most likely to be tuning in. Overall, 28% of Canadians are engaged in monthly podcast listening. For ages 18-34, the rate is 41%, followed by 29% for the 35-54 bracket and 19% for the over-55 group. At a weekly pace, podcast consumption is 19% for the overall population. Again, the 18-34 group leads with 27%. Ages 35-54 reported 18% weekly listening and over-55 reported 13%.

Among the weekly listener audience, Canadians are listening to an average of five different podcasts a week. The most common response was two shows a week (22%) followed by three shows a week (20%). But the average skewed higher thanks to 12% who listen to between six and ten shows a week, and 9% who listen to at least eleven.

A few final factoids from the presentation. Fifty-seven percent of all podcast listeners said they tuned in on a mobile device or smartphone, while 40% had used a computer. Most are listening at home (63%), and hardly anyone speeds up playback of their shows (91% said no). And Canadians are more likely than Americans to be completionists: 47% of Canadians said they listen to the entire episode, compared with 37% in the U.S.

Anna Washenko