Gen Z Helps YouTube Dominate Podcast Market

A few short years ago, Spotify and Apple battled it out for podcast dominance, with YouTube in the wings as a third player in the fight. According to a new study from Edison Research, the Google-owned site has now surpassed its challengers as the most preferred podcast platform.

Over the summer, Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights declared YouTube the most popular podcast platform, with a 31% market share versus Spotify’s 21% and Apple’s 12%. Edison Research then conducted its own study and reached a similar conclusion: YouTube takes 31% of the pie while Spotify and Apple net 27% and 15%, respectively.

Edison says it’s the only study that was conducted based on listening time rather than metrics like downloads across all platforms.

Edison’s findings show that the exodus to YouTube is spearheaded by younger listeners. A prior study showed that nearly half of Gen Z listeners actively listen to podcasts, and many of them choose YouTube as their preferred service over more traditional podcast apps.

“For this younger audience, the ability to watch their favorite podcasters, not just listen, adds a layer of engagement that traditional audio platforms lack,” Edison Research says. “Forty-nine percent of Gen Z monthly podcast listeners say video provides a better understanding of context/tone through facial expressions and gestures, while 45% feel more connected to the podcaster(s) through video podcasts.”

The Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights study also found that newcomers and heavy listeners make up the majority of YouTube’s podcast listeners. Google’s dominance in the search also aids in its popularity since YouTube often comes up in the results.

Several other factors may have helped as well. Google Podcasts shut down earlier this year, driving more traffic to other platforms, though not necessarily YouTube Music. Edison Research tells PCMag in an email that YouTube Music and YouTube were listed as separate choices when polling podcast listeners.

Spotify and Apple aren’t going down without a fight. Apple’s Podcasts app is now available on the web where listeners can engage without the need for an iOS or Mac device. Meanwhile, Spotify is making a big push for video podcasts with new tools for creators, like improved analytics and audience growth tools and new podcast-discovery options.

About Joe Hindy

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Hello, my name is Joe and I am a tech blogger. My first real experience with tech came at the tender age of 6 when I started playing Final Fantasy IV (II on the SNES) on the family’s living room console. As a teenager, I cobbled together my first PC build using old parts from several ancient PCs, and really started getting into things in my 20s. I served in the US Army as a broadcast journalist. Afterward, I served as a news writer for XDA-Developers before I spent 11 years as an Editor, and eventually Senior Editor, of Android Authority. I specialize in gaming, mobile tech, and PC hardware, but I enjoy pretty much anything that has electricity running through it.

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