“Podcasting is now more diverse than the U.S. population,” said Tony Hereau, VP of Cross Platform Insights at Nielsen. Hereau said that since there is no barrier to entry for podcasting, “it has allowed for lots of different voices to come into podcasting and add content that they don’t get anywhere else.” And the diversity of content attracts diverse listeners.
According to the Nielsen data, Hispanics are the fastest-growing ethnic group among podcast listeners, with a sixfold increase over the last decade. 6.8 million Hispanics said they had listened to a podcast in the past 30 days, versus 1.1 million in 2010.
Black and Asian American podcast listenership has increased fivefold during the same period. Hereau said the “other” category, which mainly includes, Native Americans and Indian Americans also markedly increased. And White listenership (which makes up 59% of podcast audiences) is four times what it was in 2010.
Podcast publishers have made an effort to appeal to non-White audiences. Earlier this year, iHeartMedia launched the Black Effect Podcast Network, and creating a similar podcast network targeting the Latinx community will be a top priority in 2021. In March, iHeart committed to investing half of its production on new shows from diverse creators, including women, African Americans, and Hispanics.
Podcasts’ listenership spans all age groups and ethnic backgrounds. To hear your brand on this diverse and rapidly growing medium, contact SMI today.