Australian podcast production house Deadset Studios and market research agency Insightfully have released the findings of PodPoll 2024, an in-depth survey into podcasting listening habits and behaviors.
“We haven’t yet reached ‘peak podcast’ as Australians told us they’re keen for more.” — Kelly Riordan, Director, Deadset Studios
First, we learn that half of regular podcast listeners in Australia consume between two and four episodes weekly. Twenty percent of consumers listen to 5-9 episodes weekly. One out of ten soak up 10+ episodes:
Spotify is the most preferred listening platform for Australian audiences, with YouTube and Apple Podcasts trailing in its dust:
Those two findings might be considered table stakes for a podcast consumer survey. Digging deeper, the study delivers knowledge about genre preferences, acceptance of branded shows, and reasons for not being on board with podcasts.
Finding Content
On that last point, PodPoll 24 discovered that 15% of people who don’t listen cannot find content they’re interested in — less about awareness, and more about topicality. But, it’s worth pointing out that 19% say “they never thought about listening” — the opposite pole of awareness. Busy Millennials and Gen Xers reported they don’t have time for podcasts — PodPoll interprets that finding as “an opportunity to create short, snackable podcast content.”
More Road Ahead
Whatever levels podcasting has reached, “We have not yet reached saturation,” PodPoll asserts. That’s because two in five regular Australian listeners (44%, to be exact) will try new titles at least monthly, “demonstrating a strong appetite for new content.” Along that line, podcasts are a more popular audio format among 25-35-year-old Australians than news, talk radio, or audiobooks.
AI = Against It
The survey revealed a perhaps surprising level of resistance to AI in the Australian market, especially when it comes to AI-generated news and information. A whopping 90% agreed that government and industry should “do more to ensure artificially generated content is true and accurate.”
Happy to hear from a brand
Never is there a podcast consumer study without measuring friendliness to advertising. In this one, we learn that nearly half (49%) of regular Aussie listeners are “happy to hear a podcast from a brand.” The study interprets this amenability as an opportunity “to move beyond 30-second ads to create more meaningful, in-depth branded podcast series of multiple episodes which listeners are craving about their favourite brands and organisations.”
Nothing Like The Real Thing
While we have pulled out some important points, PodPoll describes 24 key findings in a densely packed page. And that’s just one of 34 pages in the publicly available PDF. We learn about:
- “Learners” and “sharers.”
- The fight for attention
- Do purchasers listen longer? (That’s a tease. They do.)
- How long should a podcast be?
- Stickiness (completion rates)
- Drive times
- The extent to which entertainment matters
- Quality of attention
- Topic opportunities
- The biggest genre chart we’ve ever seen. In fact, see it below:
We’re not even near the bottom of this thing. The charts are fascinating for anyone who appreciates detail and granular insights. Downloading the deck is recommended. It is HERE.
