Podcast listening is on the rise — even if downloads are down

Nearly 100 million Americans listen to podcasts on a weekly basis.

The talk of the industry has been the fact that most major podcasts have experienced a dip in downloads because of how Apple iOS 17 changed the way automatic downloads work. Even shows considered safe, like This American Life, have seen a decline of around 20 percent. But as we discuss (frequently!!), downloads do not equate to listens, which is why it is always good to get some different data in. Edison Research published its annual Infinite Dial report yesterday and found a bit of good news: 47 percent of Americans aged 12 and up listen to podcasts on a monthly basis, which is five points higher than last year.

It’s the biggest jump Edison has recorded since 2019, when it recorded a six-point increase. It indicates that even as the industry is still working out the kinks on the business side, podcast listening is becoming a more regular part of the American media diet. Edison found that the proportion of weekly listeners increased, as well, going from 31 percent for Americans 12 and over to 34 percent. They estimate that is about 98 million people.

Edison’s figures are based on survey data, not raw download numbers. Given the chaos with podcast data lately, that is a good thing. It doesn’t mean the data is gospel, but it does add more nuance to our understanding of how the public (not just podcast diehards) are interacting with the medium.