Podcasting is experiencing slow and steady growth within its podcast audience. That’s a key takeaway from the upcoming Canadian Podcast Listener 2018 report from The Podcast Exchange, Audience Insights, and Ulster Media. An advanced infographic from the report shows that 26% of Canadians are monthly podcast listeners as of 2018, up from 24% in 2017. Of that monthly set, 42% said they starting tuning into podcasts in the past year.

Most of the growth in volume of podcasts consumed is happening among the long-time listeners. Between 2017 and 2018, the number of episodes heard per week edged from 3.6 to 3.7 among people who started on podcasts in the past year. For those listening for 2-5 years, the jump was from 3.9 to 4.8 episodes per week. For those who’ve been fans for more than 5 years, the increase went from 7.2 to 8.4.

The survey found other distinct behaviors between new and long-time podcast listeners. New listeners were less likely than their counterparts to subscribe to a show or to download episodes, but were much more likely to have niche genres as favorites and listened to more episodes from more than three months ago. The chart recommended best practices for reaching those new listeners, including making shows available on Android mobile devices, having support for smart speakers, and pursuing broad marketing efforts.

Full results from The Canadian Podcast Listener report will be released at the inaugural RAIN Summit Canada, which takes place on October 10 in Toronto. For more advanced looks at what the study covers, check out this teaser and this infographic about listeners and language.