Edison Research‘s Infinite Dial 2024 report, supported by Audacy, Cumulus Media and SiriusXM Media, has documented a significant growth in the U.S. podcast listening audience, including both monthly and weekly listeners. Edison Research unveiled its annual findings during a live event at Podcast Movement Evolutions last week. The full report is available online here.
According to the study, 67% of Americans aged 12 and older have listened to a podcast, marking a 3% increase from 64% in 2023. Monthly podcast listenership also rose by 5%, from 42% in 2023 to 47% in 2024.
Weekly podcast listenership has grown to 34% of the U.S. population aged 12 and older, up from 31% in 2023. This translates to an estimated 98 million Americans tuning into podcasts weekly, nearing the 100 million listener milestone.
The industry has faced challenges, including the impact of changes to the iPhone operating system, which led to a decline in download numbers. However, this year’s Infinite Dial report provides compelling evidence that podcast listening continues to grow despite these challenges.
In an overview of podcast listening, the report segments the U.S. population into three groups regarding podcast familiarity and listening habits. Only 16% of Americans are not familiar with the term “podcasting,” while an equal percentage (17%) know of it but have not listened. This suggests a third of the population as potential podcast listeners.
The middle group consists of 20% who have tried podcasts but haven’t listened in the past month and 13% who have listened within the last month but not the last week. These groups represent another third of the population, indicating potential for increased regular listenership.
Finally, 34% of the U.S. population listens to podcasts weekly, highlighting the strong engagement at the core of the podcast audience.
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