Podcasters are moving away from AM/FM

In an unexpected follow-up to my piece on podcasting going mainstream, I am indebted to Anna Washenko.  She drew on the updated Autumn Edition of Edison Research’s ‘Share of Ear’. The study reveals that podcast listeners spend six hours and eight minutes each day (on average) consuming audio, much more than the four hours of listening among non-users of podcasts – radio listeners. These may be US figures but when America sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold.  It’s coming.

A shift is in listening behavior is occurring. Podcast listeners are moving away from AM/FM.  Listeners spend 30% of their time with podcasts in contrast to 21% in AM/FM listening. (In the last Edison report, the balance was 26% listening to podcasts; 28 listening to AM/FM.)

Edison’s conclusion is that ‘While some of the shift in podcast listening has come from other forms of media (in particular, AM/FM Radio,) much of it is simply new listening, as podcast consumers continue to bring their podcasts with them into environments and settings where they previously might not have consumed audio.’

This is good news for traditional broadcasters so long as they are willing to accept that the market is changing and that they need to change with the market. As listeners shift to new sources of audio, the entire listening pie is growing.  There is tremendous opportunity.