Listeners Say They’ll Take Their Podcasts with Video

January 31, 2023

This article is included in these additional categories:

Boomers & Older | Demographics & Audiences | Digital | Industries | Media & Entertainment | Video | Youth & Gen X

Podcasts account for almost one-quarter of US digital audio listening time and more than one-quarter of US digital audio services ad spending. But it may not be appropriate to refer to podcasts as audio-only platforms anymore, according to research from Morning Consult.

According to Morning Consult, “podcasts in several genres, including sports, entertainment, comedy and pop culture, are increasingly utilizing visual media to market their brands, reach new audiences and generate additional revenue, said podcasters, production executives and media experts.” These efforts are seemingly fruitful, as more US adults surveyed said they prefer listening to podcasts with video (32%) than without (26%).

This was the case particularly for younger adults. Gen Zers are 50% more likely to prefer listening with video (42%) than without (28%), and Millennials display a similar gap in preference (43% and 30%, respectively). In fact, Gen Xers are the only generation who express a slight preference for listening without video (31%) versus with video (28%).

Among podcast listeners themselves (those who reported having listened to a podcast in the last month), more said they prefer listening to podcasts with video (46%) than without (42%).

This preference is also reflected by respondents’ preferred podcast platforms. As opposed to Spotify (the favorite for 24% share) or Apple Podcasts (preferred by 12% share), it’s video platform YouTube that’s cited by the largest share (33%) of podcast listeners as their top podcast platform.

One reason why? According to Morning Consult data, about 1 in 3 Americans (34%) said that seeing influential or celebrity guests is a “major reason” why they prefer watching a video with podcasts.

As the analysts write: “This is the new era of podcasting, in which the once audio-only format has evolved toward a hybrid model of distribution that often prioritizes video — specifically YouTube and live paid events.”

For more, check out Morning Consult’s research here.

About the Data: The results are based on an October 2022 survey of 2,202 US adults, of whom 1,172 reported listening to a podcast in the previous month.

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