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Podcasts Rival TikTok in Japan, Acast’s Annual Report, & More

Podcasts Rival TikTok in Japan, Acast’s Annual Report, & More

April 25, 2024

Survey of Podcast Usage in Japan

Japan-based digital audio advertising agency Otonal has partnered with The Asahi Shimbun Company to produce Survey of Podcast Usage in Japan #4. The survey is built from 10,000 respondents aged 15-69 in Japan and 800 daily podcast listeners selected by demographic breakdown. Key findings include that podcasts are as popular as TikTok consumption across all age groups. Approximate 50% of listeners consume more than three shows regularly. Podcast usage across all populations was 15.7%, though when filtered for teens it rises to 32.8% and 25% for respondents in their 20s. [Source]

Acast Annual Report by Brad Hill

Rain News breaks down the 94 page full-year summary report from Acast. Highlights include a net sales of around $150 million USD with a gross margin of 32%. In a segment illustrating advertiser benefits, Acast shows podcasting averages a 6.2x long-term return on advertising spend for podcasts, compared to 4.6x for social media and 4.5x for online video. Acast has also issued a release this week celebrating a decade of podcasting. [Source]

Podcasting on YouTube – What Creators Need to Know!

YouTube liaison Rene Ritchie has published a six minute interview with YouTube CPO Johanna Voolich about podcasting on YouTube. Voolich discusses video podcast audiences’ desire for a video element, but also their ability to listen while on the go. Which is in line with Sound You Can See’s findings when surveying video podcast consumers: respondents enjoy video podcast content that promotes lean-in attention, but also have no problem switching to audio versions of the same podcast when switching to more engaging tasks like chores or driving. [Source]

MRC Releases Invalid Traffic Update, Includes Property-Level Reporting By Joe Mandese

The Media Ratings Council has released an update for invalid traffic (IVT) guidance for third-party measurement firms. The guidance, meant to be used by advertisers to avoid buying fraudulent ad inventory, includes new variants of domain spoofing and property-level reporting. The latter is intended to address the proliferation of made-for-advertising websites. The new guidance establishes classification today with the intent of enabling filtering of known bad actors in the future. [Source]

…as for the rest of the news:

Research Database Snapshot

Source: The Ad Bargain from Sounds Profitable

What it says: Podcast listeners are more likely to go out of their way to support the brands that support their favorite shows

What it means: YouTube creators are often thought of as the ultimate influencers, but these data suggest podcast creators could be even more influential!

Why it’s cool: The question asks if you’d “go out of your way” to support a brand – that’s more than a casual purchase – it’s intent and agency.

Register for our upcoming webinar:

The Business Podcast Consumer

The first presentation of the Sounds Profitable Educational Series

The Sounds Profitable Educational Series kicks off 2025 with a bang - a look at the audience for business podcasts, and what makes them different to the audience for any other genre! This report, from Sounds Profitable and American Public Media, will look at the demographics and media consumption habits of this very valuable audience, and how they respond to brand involvement in podcasting. Tom Webster will walk attendees through this lively 30-minute session, which also features a special guest - Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal. Registrants will also be sent the full report as soon as it is available. So join us Jan 15th, at 3PM Eastern, for this special look at one of podcasting’s most valuable audiences!

Register for free