New @Ofcom data on #podcasting released last week (sort of lost in the Apple noise) has some really good insight for the market, in the same week the @IABUK told us it's an industry now worth £33m a year (up 43% YonY)...some highlights...(long-ish thread)

Biggest discovery tool is social media - 31% of respondents hear about new shows that way. Alarmingly (if you're launching new shows), 26% of respondents said they 'do not hear about new podcasts'. The Spotify+Facebook tie up could help fix that?

40% now listen to more podcasts than when they first started - not that surprising I suppose, but nice to see that once you're a listener, you're likely to want to hear more (if you're told about them, of course).

Almost a quarter of those people who listen to podcasts, are listening to fewer than when they first started. Lack of time (39%) and loss of commute due to Covid (21%) most cited reasons.

13% cite 'listening to podcasts is inconvenient' as a reason for listening less. Good to remind ourselves that listening to a podcast is less convenient than switching on the TV or radio.

63% say they listen to a podcast 'while at home relaxing'. In RAJARs last Midas survey before lockdown (Spring 2020) 'working/travelling' was highest at 44%.

'Learning something new or improving understanding' is why 52% of listeners choose podcasts. 'Background listening' at 24% is higher than I thought it would be.

Majority of respondents (38%) say they're listening to 3-5 podcasts a week, but only 23% say they subscribe to that many. You clearly need to earn that loyalty.

64% are listening to 'all or most' of the podcast episodes they subscribe to - that really is impressive. Comedy, Football and True Crime are the biggest genres.

Spotify biggest destination for listening at 42%. BBC Sounds very hight at 40%. YouTube (31%) beats Apple Podcasts (29%). Amazon get very impressive 17% after only being around for a few months. Beats Google Podcasts (12%)

81% are using smartphones. Impressive 11% for Smart Speakers (Alexa may be the reason for Amazon doing so well?).

Podcasts being free to listen to is important to 85% of the respondents. Still leaves potential of 15% of your audience willing to pay for your show - could be enough to keep the wheels on.