New data from Acast and Nielsen shows that podcasting has firmly established itself as a dominant force in advertising, outpacing traditional channels such as radio.
According to the research, 42% of the British public have listened to a podcast in the past week and 21% listen at least once a day – highlighting the medium’s growing influence and reach.
This surge in podcast popularity reflects changing consumer behaviours, where on-demand content is increasingly preferred for its convenience, variety, and accessibility.
In the past six months there has been a 43% increase for listening to podcasts and a 39% increase for watching podcasts. Listeners gave many reasons such as self-development and mental health as reasons for their increased consumption.
The data shows that podcast ads are perceived as one of the least intrusive (ranked second least intrusive behind cinema), and the British public trust podcast hosts twice as much as celebrity ambassadors (45% vs 20%).
This combination allows for highly effective and personalised ad placements, resonating more deeply with listeners than traditional, broad-spectrum advertising methods like radio. In fact, 25% of monthly podcast listeners do not listen to the radio.
Over half of monthly podcast listeners (51%) have watched a video podcast in the last seven days, and 37% of listeners in the UK actually prefer podcasts that include video.
Josh Woodhouse, Regional Managing Director, UK & Ireland, notes, “Podcasting has transitioned to a mainstream media channel in an incredibly short time.
“Our latest findings underscore the importance of podcasting as a popular entertainment medium and a powerful advertising platform. It’s clear that podcasts are not just keeping pace with traditional media but setting new standards for how content and advertising can interact in a digital age.”