Audio research company Signal Hill Insights has released a findings note with three key trends articulated by company President and Partner Paul Riismandel.
The first is video, which at first glance seems like broadcasting well-established news, but there is a key add-on: brand advertisers are agreeing with the importance of video, and want to see ROI measurements of ad effectiveness in video podcasts.
The second trend is more about audience trending: “Audiences haven’t lost their appetite for narrative podcasts.” This research covers a decade of data. In the most recent surveys, weekly podcast consumers said they spend 54% of their time with narrative podcasts. The findings state that video vs pure audio is a factor, but doesn’t change the overall finding:
“Weekly podcast listeners spend a little more time with narrative podcasts, while those who prefer audio-only spend the most.”
In this study, narrative podcasts are defined as: “Ones that focus on telling a story in a documentary style and often feature a host who narrates the story.”
This work presents tables of survey findings, which we recommend looking at. (HERE)
The third trend in this study is not metrical:
“There will be surprises (be prepared)”
That expectation is based on surprises during 2025, namely:
- Smart TVs Became the 2nd Most Used Device for Podcasts with Weekly Consumers
- French Canadian Podcast Consumption Rebounded
- The News Podcast Audience Flipped Its Political Allegiance
As always, we recommend the source; see it HERE.