Ofcom Podcast Survey 2024 provides great audience insights

The Ofcom Podcast Survey 2024 gives us a fascinating insight into how audiences consume podcasts – and what to think about if you have your own show.

Media consultant Adam Bowie has gone through Ofcom’s data to pull out the key findings – and what they mean.

Ofcom Podcast Survey: podcast consumption is plateauing 

The share of people in the UK listening to podcasts regularly (at least once a week) has stayed the same as in recent years – but we’re listening to slightly fewer than before.

Ofcom: Podcast listening varies a lot by demographics 

There’s been a big increase in the number of 18-24 year olds listening to them, while the figures for 25-54s have decreased. And ethnic minorities are overwhelmingly listening to podcasts more regularly than other ethnicities. And it’s still a sharp divide between socio-economic backgrounds – ABC1s are much more likely to consume podcasts.

And what people are doing when they’re listening to shows varies a lot depending on age.

Social media is best to promote new shows, says Ofcom Podcast Survey 2024

The chart below shows how social media and word of mouth can be key in promoting new shows, especially for 18-34 year olds.

But news leaders are investing more in video over podcasts

Though it seems that media leaders are not prioritising podcasts this year; according to this Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism report, they are focusing more on video.

Is there space or interest to launch a new podcast?

The results of this Ofcom Podcast Survey is another reminder of the importance of looking at data, especially your own, and examining what content your audience likes (and doesn’t) and their behaviours. However, this is a very broad market – there is a podcast for every niche nowadays, and what applies generally, or to one show and their audience, may not apply to yours.

If you are being asked to make a podcast, look at your existing audience insight and analyse the competition in the podcast market – is there space for a new show, and is there likely to be demand for it?

And consider whether audio is the best format. From a personal point of view, I find that the visual version of my own show, Sorry You Went Viral, performs far better than the pod offering – especially the clips on TikTok and YouTube.

You can read the raw data from Ofcom here, but I really recommend reading Adam’s easy-to-read analysis in full.