Michele Majidi
Researcher
Podcast advertising in the United States - statistics & facts
Podcasts are still the cool kid in the media family. Even though podcast advertising revenues remain lower than that of established media such as pay TV or out-of-home, the industry is thriving and has successfully reached the threshold of two billion U.S. dollars in annual ad revenue in the United States. The U.S. is the country with the highest number of podcast listeners worldwide, with an estimated 76 million people or 23 percent of the population consuming that audio content on a regular basis.
Spotify has confirmed itself as a major player in the podcasting game, showcasing an expected eight-fold rise in ad revenue between 2020 and 2024. At the same time, the podcast share of the Swedish colossus’ ad revenue increased from five to almost 20 percent. Spotify’s success notwithstanding, audio giant iHeartMedia held on to its crown of podcast king, with an ad revenue projected to overtake the half-billion-dollar mark by 2024. As for genres, the largest share of the U.S. podcast advertising pie was held by sports, followed by society and culture. The country’s number one podcast advertiser was mental health services portal BetterHelp, followed by Amazon.
Podcast ad spending: basking in the glow of double-digit growth
Advertisers have not failed to notice the growing popularity of podcasts and are eagerly grabbing the opportunity to reach out to potential customers through yet another digital medium. Podcast ad spending in the U.S. witnessed a Growth deceleration all the same, the share of podcasts in digital audio services ad spending was expected to double between 2021 and 2025. Podcasts still trailed behind on-air radio when it came to average ad revenue per listener. Points in podcasts’ favor include their being considered a medium less at risk of cookie depreciation when compared to other media.Spotify has confirmed itself as a major player in the podcasting game, showcasing an expected eight-fold rise in ad revenue between 2020 and 2024. At the same time, the podcast share of the Swedish colossus’ ad revenue increased from five to almost 20 percent. Spotify’s success notwithstanding, audio giant iHeartMedia held on to its crown of podcast king, with an ad revenue projected to overtake the half-billion-dollar mark by 2024. As for genres, the largest share of the U.S. podcast advertising pie was held by sports, followed by society and culture. The country’s number one podcast advertiser was mental health services portal BetterHelp, followed by Amazon.
