From highly personalized niche programs to brand extensions from major media networks, podcasting is where millions of media consumers are turning to for information, entertainment, and connection to the world.

But who are these powerful, passionate listeners fueling the podcasting trend? Here’s what you need to know from our just-released second annual Westwood One’s Podcast Download – Fall 2018.

• Female podcast growth is surpassing men across many measures including weekly time spent listening, downloads, and listens.
• The heavy female podcast listener is young, upscale, and married with children. Weekly female listeners are also big fans of pop culture and comedy podcasts.
• Podcast listening is getting heavy with almost half of weekly podcast listeners consuming 6+ hours per week, up 19% in the last year.
• Podcast listening and smart speaker usage goes hand in hand. Both weekly and heavy podcast listeners have seen growth in smart speaker adoption for podcast listening.
• Advertisers and agencies are getting in the mix more than ever. 70% have discussed podcast advertising with their colleagues and 36% say they are likely to advertise in the next six months.

Check out the key findings in the infographic below and click here to download the full report with many more insights for marketers, content creators, and podcast producers.

Design and illustrations by Chris Lindquist.

Contact Kelli Hurley, SVP Digital Partnerships, at KHurley@westwoodone.com.

Contact the Insights team at CorpMarketing@westwoodone.com.