A brand new research has discovered that Apple Podcasts faces a big decline as YouTube and Spotify solidify themselves within the house.
There was a time when Apple Podcasts was the place to take heed to podcasts, controlling 27% of the market as lately as March 2021. However now that the market has expanded with different streaming platforms, plainly Apple Podcasts is changing into considerably of a ghost city.
In October 2021, Spotify overtook Apple as the highest US podcast platform, marking the primary time the Cupertino tech large had been dethroned within the podcast house. Spotify had managed to snag 24% of the podcast market, whereas Apple clung to 21%.
Three years later, YouTube has turn into the first approach People get their podcasts. In response to Cumulus Media and Sign Hill, a formidable 31% of podcast listeners now get their podcasts on YouTube. In reality, 47% of podcast listeners between the ages of 18-34 primarily take heed to their podcasts on YouTube.
Spotify now holds 21% of listenership, with 47% of that base falling between the ages of 18 and 24.
Apple has a slipping grip on 12% of the market. In contrast to YouTube and Spotify, Apple holds a majority of listeners within the 35-49 age bracket.
Apple remains to be immensely in style with what Cumulus Media and Sign Hill name “Postcast Pioneers,” or individuals who started listening to podcasts 4 or extra years in the past. Newcomers, nonetheless, appear to strongly desire YouTube.
And, no matter when a listener started listening to podcasts, “heavy customers” — those that take heed to greater than six hours of podcasts every week — appear to desire YouTube over all different platforms.
There are a selection of causes for Apple’s decline. One main motive is the truth that Apple Podcasts hasn’t been out there on Home windows or Android gadgets, limiting its attain. Nonetheless, in mid-August, Apple made its podcast library out there on-line.
Nonetheless, it will not be sufficient. Because it seems, one of many greatest promoting factors for YouTube is video podcasts, which have boomed in reputation over the previous few years. The research reveals that just about 10% of weekly podcast listeners solely watch video podcasts. Whereas Apple Podcasts has supported video for practically twenty years, the platform has by no means closely publicized the function.
YouTube can also be in style with those that hear on laptop computer and desktop platforms. It additionally affords a remark part, which 18% of its listeners say is a driving motive to make use of it over others. Moreover, many customers level out that YouTube is their one-stop store for data and leisure.
Whereas Apple’s grip could also be slipping on the podcast market, the corporate continues to innovate the platform. In March 2024, Apple added auto-generated transcripts in its cell Apple Podcasts app.