Evidence suggests that people are spending more time listening to podcasts, Inside Radio reports. August saw the highest number of podcast downloads ever. And not only are total downloads increasing, but the rate of download growth is increasing, too. August brought the strongest year-over-year rate of growth of the entire year, according to data from Podtrac.
“The pandemic is podcasting’s moment,” said Hatel Patel, iHeartMedia EVP of Smart Audio Intelligence Insights, during the “State of Podcasting” presentation at IAB Podcast Upfront. When the coronavirus pandemic changed media habits, in-home listening exploded. People were “listening to a podcast on different devices with different people and it created this boom for podcasting amid the pandemic,” said Patel.
Patel said podcasting is “a medium that lets you go deep – it entertains you; it educates you; and also gives you an escape when you want one.” Because podcast’s ad-skipping rates are “extremely awesome” compared to any other medium, Patel said podcasting is not only a consumer favorite but also “a brand favorite.”
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