In recent years, podcasts have become increasingly popular; however, with no tangible research into this area, the7stars Lightbox teamed up with DAX (Digital Audio Exchange) in order to explore the potential that this medium can offer as a marketing channel.
A study of 2,000 Brits, this was the UK’s first piece of independent research on how consumers interact with podcasts.
With almost 4 million people having listened to a podcast within the last month, podcasts are not as niche as one might think. In fact, podcasts make up 7% of all audio listening’s weekly reach, and 10.8 million podcasts are consumed in a month. Not just a way of passing the time, listening to podcasts is active rather than a passive, and 74% agree that doing so helps to expand their knowledge. Furthermore, of those who do not listen to podcasts 32% say that it never occurred to them to listen to one, demonstrating that there is notable opportunity to grow the market.
Podcast listeners, therefore, are a valuable advertising audience. 70% of listeners say that they have never paid for a podcast, and 61% are happy for the audio experience to include ads, as long as the podcast itself is free. More than half (56%) said they did not mind ads relevant to the podcast topic.
Check out the infographic for all the key stats:
