Reflections from Podcast Show London [Multiple Sources]
It’s the week after a big industry event, let’s check out some industry reflections on conversations had at PSL! First up, Amplifi Media’s Steven Goldstein gives an overview of the conference with five key takeaways. Including YouTube’s evolution from “a polite observer” in 2024 to a major player at podcasting events like Podcast Movement, On Air Fest, and now Podcast Show London. While video podcasting has been around since before the word ‘podcast’ was solidified, Ashley Carman notes contemporary conversations about video production elsewhere at the event signaled a shift towards content-ification of podcasting. For example, Flightstory CEO Georgie Holt and PAVE Studios founder Max Cutler make a point of calling their content a “show” instead of “podcast.”
Matthew McClean of The Podcast Host interviewed quite a few folks at the event regarding the importance of the industry embracing and promoting spoken word audio.
And finally, Blubrry Podcasting by RawVoice founder Todd Cochrane shared a piece detailing how podcasting can prevent “video-or-bust” narratives from freezing out new voices from the industry. While video is doing well, he points to the not-as-celebrated data that audio podcasting is at an all-time high. The U.S. Infinite Dial found 70% of Americans 12+ have listened to a podcast, and monthly reach is at 55%. Apple Podcasts revealed in London they had their best year ever for listeners, hours streamed, and paid subscribers. Video may be growing at a healthy pace, but it’s worth remembering aural podcasting is also growing still.
The Podcasting Advertising Anomaly: New Research on Attention and Gender by Tom Webster
The next chapter of data from The Advertising Landscape will focus specifically on podcast advertising’s performance in regards to attention and trust. One bit of data that stands out to Webster is evidence there is (near-as-makes-no-difference) no gender gap in podcast advertising recall. Male podcast listeners surveyed for The Advertising Landscape clocked in at 86% recall on podcast ads, while female listeners scored 85%. A “gap” so small that statistically it might as well be a rounding error. For comparison, AM/FM radio scored an 11 point gap between the two measured genders. Cable TV is a 5 point gap. Reddit has a sizable 24 point gap. Following up, Webster also has a new LinkedIn article digging into that 11 point gap for AM/FM and what those gaps mean for advertising mediums (as well as what makes podcasting unique in having closed that gap).
Webinar Roundup
There’s quite a few webinars coming up in the next week, so I’ve built a handy-dandy section to show off what you can attend and when!
Quill & Cohost founder Fatima Zaidi and Sounds Profitable’s Tom Webster will give a 45 minute presentation on what podcast success actually looks like in 2025, including why traditional metrics are no longer enough, how to analyze audience behavior, and how to build podcast reports your CMOs will actually care about. Register here.
Q2 2025 Podscribe Performance Benchmark Webinar – June 3rd at 1 p.m. EST
Podscribe gives a sneak peek to their latest quarterly benchmark data before it goes public, including which audience segments are converting best this year, how measurement of audio campaigns is scaling internationally, and how soon does your audience take action after listening to an ad. Register here.
The Advertising Landscape – Part Two: Attention and Trust – June 4th at 2 p.m. EST
Tom Webster presents the latest chapter of the landmark Advertising Landscape 2025 study, this time looking specifically at how podcasting continues to defy expectations in a world that has taught consumers how to avoid advertising at all costs. Register here.
True Native Media is hosting a panel discussing why audio-first podcasting is still important in the age of video, and reasons why advertisers shouldn’t overlook audio-only podcasting. The webinar panelists include True Native Media founder Heather Osgood, Acast Creative Studios VP Emily Rudder, and Sounds Profitable partner Bryan Barletta. Register here.
Ofcom Podcast Survey and Audio Report 2025 by Adam Bowie
Analyst Adam Bowie looks at the new Ofcom UK Podcast Survey published last week, built from a survey conducted by Yonder for ten days in March of this year with a nationally representative sample of 2,368 respondents. Bowie has built out the data into handy interactive Google Charts, showing off findings like 50% of respondents have ever listened to a podcast, and 25% are regular (defined as weekly in this instance) listeners. Demographics are diverse, with 41% of ethnic minority groups consuming weekly in the UK. The most likely age demo to listen to podcasts in the UK is 25-34 at 45%. The report also provides top-ten podcast charts based on three age demographics. Bowie notes that the biggest podcasts are also most appealing to younger audiences, as The Joe Rogan Experience and The Diary of a CEO are top-two for Adults 15+ and Adults 15-34, but plummet to 57th and 32nd place respectively in the 55+ demo.
Finally, it’s time for our Quick Hits. These are articles that didn’t quite make the cut for today’s episode, but are still worth including in your weekend reading. This week:
- The Tribeca Film Festival, under two weeks away, has their full 2025 lineup posted, including a section specifically for Audio Storytelling featuring events from the live taping of This American Life: Excellence in Audio Journalism Gala to a live episode recording of Talk Easy with guest Sam Rockwell. Space is limited!
- Nomono is hosting an Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass on Thursday, June 19th, at noon EST, tickets available here.
- Former VP and CRO of Barometer John Sardelis has announced he’s joining the BBC as Head of Sales, Podcasts for North America.
- Quill has announced the winners of the fifth annual Quill Podcast Awards (check out the B2B Branded section for a winner yours truly voted for).
