89 Interesting Podcast Advertising Facts & Statistics You Need to Know

The podcasting industry is booming, with millions of listeners tuning in every day to their favorite shows. And as the medium continues to grow in popularity, advertisers are noticing. 

Podcast advertising has become a hot topic in marketing, with brands competing to reach their target audiences through this engaging and intimate medium. But what really works when it comes to podcast ads? 

How many listeners are actually paying attention, and what’s the ROI on those ad dollars? 

To answer these questions and more, let’s explore the latest podcast advertising statistics. From listener behavior and ad effectiveness to platform preferences and spending trends, we’ll explore the numbers that matter most to marketers and advertisers looking to invest in podcasting.

Key Podcast Advertising Statistics (Editor’s Pick)

General Podcast Statistics

1. There are over 5 million podcast shows worldwide. (source)

2. There are over 109 million podcast downloads monthly. (source)

3. 56.9% of podcast listeners listen daily, while 30% listen several times a week, although not daily. (source)

4. Listeners tune in for various reasons, but the majority (83.7%) seek entertainment, while many also value podcasts for their educational content (68.3%) and the sense of community they provide (39%). (source) 

5. Exploring new podcasts is largely driven by recommendations from friends and family (69.1%) and social media (60%). (source) 

6. For brand exposure, podcasters prefer Spotify (56.9%), followed by Apple Podcasts (45.5%), and YouTube (37.4%) as top platforms. (source) 

7. Most podcast listeners are likelier to follow the companies whose podcasts they listened to on other social media platforms. (source)

8. 14% of U.S. surveyed respondents say they listen to podcasts daily, and 20% say they listen to podcasts more than monthly. (source)

9. Podcast ad spending in the U.S. is estimated to be $2.16 billion in 2024. (source) 

10. 26% of the Australian population admit that they listen to podcasts weekly. 40% say they listen monthly. (source)

11.  74% of surveyed podcast listeners say they listen to podcasts to learn new things. (source)

12. 65% of surveyed podcast listeners say they listen to the whole podcast episode. Additionally, 68% listen to almost all the episodes they download. (source)

13. 54.1% of adults in the UK regularly listen to about 2-3 podcasts. (source)

14. 62% of podcast listeners are likelier to share snippets than the whole podcast with coworkers. (source)

15. 35% of podcast listeners say they listen to over ten different podcasts monthly. (source)

16. Over 82.4% of people spend 7 hours weekly listening to podcasts. (source)

17. 92% of people prefer to listen to podcasts when alone. (source)

18. 48% of surveyed podcast listeners say they listen to podcasts at home. (source)

19. 94% of listeners tune in to podcasts while performing other tasks. These tasks can include chores or exercises. (source)

20. Over 44% of podcast listeners in the U.K. say they listen to podcasts while traveling or driving. About 34% of podcast listeners prefer to listen to podcasts while relaxing. (source)

21. Mobile phones are the most used devices for listening to podcasts. It has 79% listening hours. (source)

22. About 40% of podcast listeners search through the podcast app’s directory for new podcasts. (source)

23. 42% of millennials and 36% of Gen Z listen to podcasts while at work. (source)

24. 67.8% of podcast listeners say that listening to educational podcasts has increased their intellectual growth level. (source)

Podcast Growth Statistics

25. The number of global podcast consumers is said to have grown from about 464.7 million internet users in 2023 to about 504.9 million by 2024. (source)

26. In the most recent annual survey of 2024, 67% of U.S. consumers listened to audio podcasts, a rise from 64% the previous year (source).

27. In the US, digital audio is expected to reach 197.5 million adult listeners this year (2024), with an average ad revenue of $36.05 per listener. (source) 

28. In the U.S., the number of podcast listeners is expected to grow to 164 million by 2024. (source)

29. In 2021, there were over 19 million podcast listeners in the United Kingdom. The number is expected to increase to 28 million by 2026. (source)

30. With the rapid rise of podcasts, the global podcast industry is expected to be worth over  $130.63 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 27.6% from 2023 to 2030. (source)

31. U.S. podcast awareness has increased by 30% in 10 years, with 84% of consumers aged 12+ now aware of podcasting. (source)

32. The population of podcast listeners is estimated to increase to about 28 million listeners by 2026. (source)

33. The podcast advertising market is expected to grow significantly, reaching $4.02 billion by 2024. (source)

34. As of 2023, there were over 4.7 million podcast shows on Spotify. Apple has about 2.5 million podcasts. (source)

Podcast Advertising Statistics & Facts

35. Globally, the United States is projected to lead the podcast advertising market with an estimated revenue of $2.57 billion in 2024. (source) 

36. 1,516 new brands advertised on podcasts in Q2 2024, a 1.9% increase from Q1. However, 30-second podcast ad units dropped to 40% in Q2, down 2 percentage points from Q1. (source)

37. Top podcast-advertising industries:

38. In Q2 2024, the top 500 shows received 47% of podcast ad spend, a 4% decrease from Q1. (source) 

39. In Q2 2024, advertisers spent an average of $252,000 monthly on podcasts ranking in the top 500. In contrast, podcasts ranking between 501 and 3000 generated an average of $30,000 per month in revenue. (source) 

40. The average podcast ad length is 54 seconds, and the average spend per new brand is $21,100. (source)

41. The most common podcast episode length is 30-60 minutes. (source)

42. BetterHelp’s parent company, Teladoc Health, was the leading podcaster in the U.S., with its ad spending at $24.6 million. Next was Amazon, which stood at $14.6 million. (source)

43. In 2023, podcast ads generated about $1.9 billion in revenue. It is expected to reach $2.6 billion by 2026. (source)

44. In 2024, the ad revenue per user hour will be digital audio $0.05, radio $0.08, TV $0.21, digital video $0.28, and social media $0.60. (source) 

45. The global podcast advertising market was worth $10.77 billion in 2023 and is projected to expand at an annual growth rate of 14.3% between 2024 and 2032. (source)

46. Podcast ads were primarily used for brand awareness (42%), direct response (39%), and branded content (12%). (source) 

47. In 2021, the total amount spent on podcast ads was $1.4 billion. Before the end of 2022, the total podcast revenue in the U.S. was estimated to reach over $2 billion. The revenue is also expected to increase to $4 billion by 2024. (source)

48. The podcast ad expenditure in the U.K. amounted to £46 million in 2021, expected to increase to £80 million by 2026. (source)

49. The total digital audio (including podcasting) ad spend in the UK increased from £156 million in 2022 to about £176 million in 2023. (source)

50. Podcast ads are expected to account for 3.8% on average, as decision-makers planned to devote 78.4% of their media budget to it. (source)

51. The podcast advertising market in the United States is forecasted to hit $2.57 billion in revenue by 2024. (source)

52. In 2023, comedy podcasts led US podcast ad revenue with 17%, followed by sports (13%) and news (12%) podcasts. (source)

53. Comedy’s revenue share grew 4 points in 2 years, surpassing news and sports. It’s now the most popular podcast genre, adding 268 new advertisers in Q4’23. (source)

54. The average CPM of podcast ads for 30 seconds is $18, and for 60 seconds is $25. (source)

Podcast Ad Listener Behavior Statistics

55. 14% of podcast listeners find ads interesting and non-interruptive, while 42% skip them, up from 36% last year (2022). (source)

56. 18% of podcast listeners find ads intrusive but still listen to them, while 14% find them neither intrusive nor interesting (down from 17% in 2019). (source)

57. A 60-minute podcast can only contain 3.8 ads. Listeners can consider anything more annoying. (source)

58. Over 55% of podcast ads revenue in 2021 came from host-read ads. This is because most listeners have come out to say that while enjoying the host’s voice and flow, they don’t want to be interrupted by pre-recorded ads. (source) 

59. 38.2% of podcast listeners found host-read ads engaging. Also, 33.6% think podcast ads are effective, 27.9% don’t. (source)

60. Entertaining content (39%) and the ability to hold attention (32%) are the top attributes influencing audiences to listen to another episode of a branded podcast. (source) 

61. Appealing podcast content encourages listener loyalty and word-of-mouth: 65% would listen to another episode and 64% would recommend the series. (source) 

62. Hearing a branded bonus episode makes 72% of podcast listeners more likely to buy from the sponsoring brand. (source)

Podcast Demographic Statistics

63. The U.S. has the highest number of podcasts, with over 120,571 active podcasts. (source)

64. The podcast advertising market in the United Kingdom is expected to generate $67.53 million in revenue by 2024. (source)

65. In 2024, iHeartRadio was the leading podcast publisher. It had over 646.8 million unique streams and downloads. Acast came second with about 365 million. (source)

66. Spotify has spent almost $900 million on several podcast-related acquisitions. (source)

67. By 2027, the podcast advertising market will have 18.3 million users. (source)

68. In 2024, a survey found that 47% of U.S. adults had listened to a podcast in the past month, marking a more than threefold rise over the previous decade. (source)

69. In October 2022, 33% of Americans used YouTube to access podcasts, making it the most popular platform for adults in the United States. (source)

70. In 2020, National Public Radio invested $1.20 million in Podcast Media LLC, a decrease from $2.01 million the year before. (source)

71. A survey on podcast consumption found that 43% of millennials preferred podcasts in video format, while 31% of Gen Xers prefer no video format. (source)

72. In early 2024, a U.S. survey revealed that 59% of people aged 12 to 34 had listened to a podcast in the past month, while only 27% of those aged 55 and older had done the same. (source)

73. With 50% of the UK population now tuning into podcasts, podcasting has become a major aspect of daily life for many. (source)

74. Among monthly podcast listeners, 45% have a household income exceeding $75K, compared to 35% of the general population. (source)

Podcast Ad Effectiveness Statistics

75. 69% of podcast listeners say podcast ads make them aware of new products and services. (source) 

76. 54% of podcast listeners are more likely to purchase from a brand after hearing its advertisement on a podcast. (source)

77. 70% of people have visited an ad’s website after hearing about the product in a podcast. Another 67% of people say they talked to friends and family about the ad. (source) 

78. About 3 out of 4 (75%) of podcast listeners who purchased an item after listening to the podcast ads say they are happy with it. (source) 

79. Over 80% of podcast listeners do not believe that ads negatively affect the quality of podcasts. (source)

80. 40% of podcast listeners in the U.S. describe podcast ads as relevant and engaging. (source) 

81. 61% of listeners feel more favorably towards brands after hearing podcast ads. (source)

Future of Podcast Advertising Statistics

82. Spotify’s US podcast listeners will grow 11.7% to 43.1 million, with users spending an average of 16 minutes daily. Spotify will account for 31.8% of US podcast listeners and 19.4% of digital audio time. (source)

83. US Apple Podcast listeners will reach 28.7 million by 2024 and approach 30 million by 2027, but its market share will decrease to below 21.2% by 2027. (source)

84. iHeartRadio’s US podcast listeners will grow 8.9% to 33.1 million by 2024, capturing 24.4% of the US podcast listener market. (source)

85. According to EMarketer, North America will lead the world in podcast listeners by 2024, with 149.4 million listeners. Also, the US will have 135.4 million podcast listeners, making up 44.1% of all internet users. (source)

86. Podcast advertising is expected to surpass $3 billion by 2026, making up 35% of total digital audio service spending. (source)

87. Spotify’s U.S. podcast ad revenue is expected to reach $255.8 million in 2024, while iHeartMedia’s U.S. podcast ad revenue is expected to hit $435.4 million in 2024. (source) 

88. UK podcast ad spending per listener is expected to decline by 20.9% (£1.3) from 2024 to 2029, reaching £4.94 in 2029, marking the seventh consecutive year of decrease. (source) 

89. The podcast advertising market is anticipated to grow steadily, 7.76% from 2024 to 2027, reaching an estimated volume of $5.03 billion by 2027. (source)

Wrapping up

As we conclude our deep dive into podcast advertising statistics, one thing is clear: the medium has come of age. 
With listenership numbers soaring, engagement rates impressive, and advertisers striving to get in on the action, podcasting has proven itself a force to be reckoned with in the marketing world. 
But as the space evolves, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. With these latest podcast advertising stats and trends, you can harness the power of podcasting to reach, engage, and convert their target audiences like never before.

As we conclude our deep dive into podcast advertising statistics, one thing is clear: the medium has come of age. 

With listenership numbers soaring, engagement rates impressive, and advertisers striving to get in on the action, podcasting has proven itself a force to be reckoned with in the marketing world. 

But as the space evolves, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. With these latest podcast advertising stats and trends, you can harness the power of podcasting to reach, engage, and convert their target audiences like never before.

FAQs