The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on Americans’ daily routines. But despite changes such as working from home or homeschooling, some things remain unchanged. One constant, Inside Radio reports, is podcast consumption.
Weekly podcast listeners spent about 6.5 hours a week in March listening to podcasts, roughly the same amount of time spent in January, Edison’s quarterly Podcasts Consumer Tracker revealed.
“Things have shifted around a little bit, but overall the reach has remained and the number of hours that humans are listening to podcasts – though they are redistributed a bit – hasn’t really changed that much,” Edison Research Senior VP Tom Webster said.
Some shifting can be found in the types of podcasts listeners are tuning in to. In March, the number of podcast listeners who consumed at least one News show was up 25% from January. People are tuning in more to Self-Help, Religion, and Philosophy podcasts, while the Sports category has taken a hit.
Given the wide-ranging effects of COVID-19, the steadiness of podcast consumption is encouraging. For advertisers, it signals the strength of a medium that can be utilized to carry a brand through challenging times. For the rest of us, it is proof that, amidst turmoil, we are finding ways to move forward with life as usual.