Latest Bridge Ratings data examine podcasting’s potential audience

Bridge Ratings has published an assessment of the podcasting audience, looking not just at the current listenership but also at the people who could become regular listeners. According to its August 2016 survey, the percentage of respondents who have no interest in podcasting has declined to 55%, compared with 60% in February 2016 and 64% in August 2015. The 18-34 age group had the lowest lack of interest in podcasting, while the most was reported by teens and the 55+ group.

That shift away from disinterest in podcasting was coupled by slow growth or static results for active listener numbers. A steady 14% said they had listened to a podcast in the past week, while 20% had tuned in in the past 30 days. Those numbers were up from 10% and 15%, respectively, in August 2015.

These results showed that even though we regularly speak of a podcasting rennaissance, the audio format still has a long way to go before achieving mainstream popularity.

“Podcasting still faces a headwind as a mass-reach medium the implications of which are yet to be determined,” said Bridge Ratings President Dave Van Dyke. “However, its ability to finely target consumers in an on-demand world will continue to be one of its strongest benefits.”