More than 15 years after the term was first coined, podcasting has become one of the hottest topics in media. Our Reuters Institute Digital News Report shows that podcasting is now a worldwide phenomenon: Across 38 countries surveyed, 36 percent said they had listened to a podcast at least once a month, and about 15 percent said they listen to a news podcast. Edison Research estimates that around 90 million people listen to podcasts each month in the United States — a number that’s doubled since 2015. In the U.K., podcast usage is up 40 percent in the past year, driven by a younger generation looking for information, entertainment, and distraction.
There’s been much written about podcasts in general — but less about news podcasts and the creative and commercial opportunities for publishers. That’s the focus of my new research (with Nathan Gallo), using podcast production data from five markets (U.K., U.S., Australia, France, and Sweden) along with interviews with…
