Today’s TV viewers may be more inclined to switch to a podcast than a prime-time chat show.
Previously limited to earphones, audio chats are increasingly receiving more video views on digital platforms, expanding their reach and generating significant advertising money for the already well-liked format.
More than 400 million hours of podcasts were viewed on TVs each month in 2024, according to YouTube, which has emerged as a top destination for podcast listeners in recent years.
They have been listening to podcasts in a manner akin to that of late-night talk shows. This month, YouTube’s senior director of product management, Kurt Wilms, authored a blog post.
The platform has gained traction in TV viewership after initially finding success on computers and cellphones. According to data from the media analytics firm Nielsen, YouTube surpassed rivals like The Walt Disney Co. and NBCUniversal (NBCUniversal is the parent company of NBC News) to account for 10.4% of total TV viewing in July 2024.
Podcast videos are growing on other platforms as well. Nearly two-thirds of Spotify users in 2024 will prefer their podcasts with video, the streaming service announced at an event in November that over 250 million of its customers have viewed a video podcast.
This growth coincides with the fact that most linear and cable broadcast programs, as well as traditional TV discussion shows, are still struggling.
Before the industry’s first big hit, Serial, gave the medium a boost of attention and seriousness, podcasts were a tiny, niche sector that initially appeared in the mid-2000s. Similar to this, media corporations made investments in their own podcasts with the goal of attracting listeners with captivating, short-lived programs.
Many of those series were somewhat successful and received a lot of attention, but they were unable to match Serial’s buzz, which followed Adnan Syed’s legal journey over several decades. Meanwhile, simpler, personality-driven shows began to take off,with many big podcasters launching national tours featuring live tapings with audiences.
While2023 was a tough year for podcasts as a whole, popular podcasts retained and in some instances grew their audiences in 2024.
Josh Lindgren, head of Creative Artists Agency s podcast department, said there s been a huge shift in the industry in favor of talk show-style, interview-oriented podcasts as evidenced by the dominance of longtime chart-toppers such as Alex Cooper s Call Her Daddy and Joe Rogan s The Joe Rogan Experience, as well as newer entrants like Haliey Welch s Talk Tuah.
We ve seen a real growth in public figures who have a message to get out seeing the value in podcasting as a way to give a nuanced and long-form answer, and a different type of glimpse into what they re thinking or what they re doing, Lindgren said. And that s the same if you re an actor who s promoting a new movie or if you re a politician who wants to talk about policy.
The 2024 election helped drive that point home, with podcasts suddenly becoming a vital campaign tool. Donald Trump appeared on podcasts hosted by comedians who are known for their appeal with conservative-leaning audiences, including Rogan, Andrew Schulz and Theo Von. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris sat down with Cooper onCall Her Daddy, popular with millennials and Gen-Zers.
We just saw in this election cycle, as an example, presidential candidates going on podcasts as a way of reaching audiences, said Travis Dunlap, an agent at William Morris Endeavor who has worked in the podcasting space for nearly a decade. And so it really has become the most modern version of a talk show.
Gone are the days where people can look at YouTube as an offshoot alternative to TV, he added. It is TV today.
Many podcasts in recent years have built sizable audiences by reaching new listeners through clips posted to TikTok and YouTube Shorts. In an attempt to leverage the potential of video discoverability, Spotify also recently introduced short clip recommendations in the app to boost visibility for its video podcasts.
Edison Research, which produces survey-based podcast listening data, found that 81% of weekly podcast listeners above age 13 listen to or watch podcasts with a video component, according to the company s third-quarter podcast metrics.
Tom Webster, a partner at podcast trade association Sounds Profitable, said that video podcasts are giving audiences a more interactive experience than many of the TV talk shows that once commanded living rooms, especially with the decline of traditional live and studio audiences.
What video podcasts give you is a comment section, and you can plant a flag for a community there in a way that s sort of disappeared from TV, Webster said. I look at a podcast that s on YouTube as a place where people really engage with each other and potentially engage with creators and the hosts and feel like they re being seen, feel like they re being heard.
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