The Stitcher Podcasting Report

What a decade of industry growth looks like from the app perspective.

Stitcher
Stitcher Blog

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It’s been over a decade since we launched the Stitcher app. And, like the rest of our industry, we’ve evolved and adapted to meet the needs of the millions of new listeners that have joined the ranks of the podcast community. Being at the forefront of this incredible growth has also allowed us to quantify how listening habits have changed over time. How shows have changed (true crime, anyone?). How the profile of the listener has changed. And now we’re releasing that information in our first Stitcher Report focused on podcasting’s evolution since we got started in the medium ourselves.

The report provides a detailed analysis of in-app data, network content and listener demographics as well as an update on changes we’ve been seeing during the coronavirus pandemic. Here are a few highlights:

  • The growth of podcasts is not slowing down: The number of podcasts published to Stitcher has grown more than 129,000% since 2010.
  • Some states carry more listening weight: The state of Washington, for example, ranks №4 in listening hours, despite being №13 in highest population.
  • Streaming remains popular: Two-thirds of podcasts are streamed rather than downloaded.
  • The rise of the mini-series*: Mini-series podcasts grew from four in 2010 to more than 52,000 in 10 years. From “Serial” in 2014 to top shows including “The Dream” and “Chernobyl,” listeners are tuning in to learn about history, legends and behind-the-curtain truths.
  • Episodes are trending shorter: The average podcast episode length has shortened by 2.4 minutes since 2013.
  • Gen X is dedicated: Though the 18–34 age group makes up the largest chunk of listeners, the 35–55 age group is more dedicated based on listening hours and the number of shows they’ve added to their favorites.
  • Bouncing back amid COVID-19: While listening decreased during weekday commuting hours, the second half of April began to show a return to pre-pandemic levels of listening patterns.

You can view the original report and the pandemic update below. The full press release is here.

THE STITCHER PODCASTING REPORT

THE STITCHER PODCASTING REPORT: PANDEMIC UPDATE

*A show that has released 2–12 episodes.

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Stitcher
Stitcher Blog

The best place to discover, listen, distribute and create podcasts.