Click here to download a PDF of the full report.

Click here to sign up for a free webinar this Wednesday highlighting findings from the report.

YouTube has hit a new high as America’s primary podcast destination.

In 2021, YouTube was the third most accessed destination for podcasts. In 2022, it tied Spotify as the platform used most among weekly podcast listeners. Now across two years’ worth of studies in 2023 and 2024, YouTube has pulled away from the pack and leads as the most used podcast audience platform in the U.S., hitting a new high of 34%.

For the thirteenth edition of the Podcast Download series, Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights retained MARU/Matchbox to conduct an in-depth study of 603 weekly podcast consumers from October 3-7, 2024. Two studies are conducted annually. The Fall 2024 Report highlights trends from prior studies and examines topics such as platform preference, content trends, perceptions of brand safety and content appropriateness, and more.

Liz Mayer, Insights Manager of the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group®, and Paul Riismandel, President of Signal Hill Insights, conducted an extensive analysis of the Podcast Download consumer study.

Key takeaways:

• Hitting an all-time high, YouTube is the most utilized podcast listening platform in the U.S.: 34% say it is the platform they use the most, followed by Spotify (17%) and Apple (11%)

• YouTube is used most among Podcast Newcomers, Podcast Pioneers, and heavy podcast consumers
• As the world’s entertainment search engine, YouTube is the dominant podcast discovery platform where audiences are more likely to find podcasts
• Those who discover a podcast on YouTube say they stick with the platform for video, comments, community, entertainment, recommendations, and platform features
• However, the YouTube podcast audience is not exclusively tied to the platform
• Watchable podcasts are growing in popularity as 1 in 3 weekly podcast consumers now say they prefer actively watching podcasts with videos
• Podcast Newcomers are more likely to prefer actively watching podcast videos
• Preference for watchable video is a key driver in platform used most: YouTube is a runaway #1 among podcast consumers who prefer podcasts via video
• YouTube dominates association as the platform where podcasts can be watched and heard
• Younger podcast consumers are more likely to consume a podcast because of the thumbnail image on YouTube versus older podcast consumers
• Text and the podcast title on the thumbnail are the biggest reasons podcast consumers will pick a podcast on YouTube

Those who only watch podcasts are 13% of the weekly podcast audience

Given that video is becoming a growing podcast tuning option, the definition of podcast consumption was expanded in the April 2022 Podcast Download study. Since then, those who only watch podcasts have been accepted into the Podcast Download survey of the weekly podcast audience.

The inclusion of those who only watch podcasts expanded the podcast audience. Over five studies in the last two years, an average of 10% of the weekly podcast audience indicate they only consume podcasts via “watching.”

YouTube is the most utilized podcast platform in the U.S., hitting an all-time high: 34% say it is the platform they use the most, followed by Spotify (17%) and Apple (11%)

Two-thirds of weekly podcast listeners consider the “big three” as their most preferred podcast platform. YouTube’s lead over Spotify for “use most” is now 2X and 3X Apple.

Much has changed over the last six years. In July 2019, Apple was the dominant podcast audience platform. At the time, 29% said they used Apple most versus Spotify (16%) and YouTube (15%).

Two years later in October 2021 it was a three-horse race between Apple, YouTube, and Spotify as an equal proportion said they used each platform the most.

Since then, YouTube has steadily grown at the expense of Apple. Spotify has eroded slightly to the high teens and low 20% range for “use most.” Apple’s October 2024 “use most” response (11%) is an all-time low.  

A tale of three studies: At 34%, Triton’s Digital Podcast Metrics study also finds YouTube is the number one “used most” podcast platform

Signal Hill Insights powers the Demo+ survey for Triton’s Podcast Metrics service. Their Q3 2024 survey also found YouTube was “used most” for podcast consumption at 34%, validating the Podcast Download data. According to Triton, Spotify is a stronger number two platform (27%).

Edison’s “Podcast Metrics” Q3 2024 report also reveals YouTube is the top podcast audience platform (32%). In Edison and Triton Digital’s reporting, Spotify earns a more substantial “use most” showing than the Podcast Download study. 

YouTube is used most among Podcast Newcomers, Podcast Pioneers, and heavy podcast consumers

YouTube is the number one “used most” platform among:

• Heavy podcast consumers (those who spend 6+ hours with podcasts in the past week)
• Podcast Newcomers who began with podcasts in the last year
• Podcast Pioneers who started consuming podcasts 4 or more years ago

New podcasts listeners mostly enter through the YouTube/Spotify door: Since 2019, YouTube and Spotify have grown among Podcast Newcomers at the expense of Apple Podcasts

In 2019, 31% of Podcast Newcomers said they used Apple the most. By October 2024, only 11% of those newly arrived to podcasts use Apple the most.

As the world’s entertainment search engine, YouTube is the dominant podcast discovery platform

Nearly one-third of the weekly podcast audience indicate YouTube was where they started listening to a new podcast. 18% say Spotify is where they found the new podcast. 13% indicate Apple Podcasts is where they started listening to a new podcast.

Those who discover a podcast on YouTube say they stick with the platform for video, comments, community, entertainment, recommendations, and platform features

Yet the YouTube podcast audience is not exclusively tied to the platform

55% of those who listen to/watch podcasts on YouTube say they consume the same podcasts on other platforms.

If a podcast were to become exclusive on a platform outside of YouTube, 70% of the YouTube audience say they would use the new platform to listen to/watch the show.

Watchable podcasts are growing in popularity as 1 in 3 weekly podcast consumers now say they prefer actively watching podcasts with videos

• 31% prefer the audio-only experience
• 40% say they like actively watching a podcast
• 29% indicate they prefer listening to a podcast while the video is minimized or playing in the background

Podcast Newcomers are more likely to prefer actively watching podcast videos

Preference for watchable video is a key driver in platform used most: YouTube is a runaway #1 among podcast consumers who prefer the podcast video experience

The difference in platform consumption is driven by watchable video preference. Among those who prefer audio-only podcasts, only 13% use YouTube the most for podcast consumption. Conversely, among those who prefer a video component to their podcast experience, 43% use YouTube most.

YouTube dominates association as the platform where podcasts can be watched and heard

While Spotify and Apple’s expanded access to video provides more choice to consumers, the two platforms have a lot of work to do to build their perception for a visual podcast experience.

Younger podcast consumers are more likely to consume a podcast because of the thumbnail image on YouTube versus older podcast consumers

Podcasts on YouTube have one aspect that is not present in audio-only podcast experiences – the thumbnail. This image is the first thing a consumer sees when searching for a podcast on YouTube and it impacts whether consumers will press play.

Persons 18-34 are more likely to consume a podcast on YouTube because of a thumbnail (61%).

Text and the podcast title on the thumbnail are the biggest reasons podcast consumers will pick a podcast on YouTube

For a thumbnail to be most impactful, it should have text or the title depicted as well as the person in the podcast. 36% of weekly podcast consumers are swayed by a surprising thumbnail and 34% cite shock value as the reason they consumed the podcast.

Key takeaways:

• Hitting an all-time high, YouTube is the most utilized podcast listening platform in the U.S.: 34% say it is the platform they use the most, followed by Spotify (17%) and Apple (11%)

• YouTube is used most among Podcast Newcomers, Podcast Pioneers, and heavy podcast consumers
• As the world’s entertainment search engine, YouTube is the dominant podcast discovery platform where audiences are more likely to find podcasts
• Those who discover a podcast on YouTube say they stick with the platform for video, comments, community, entertainment, recommendations, and platform features
• However, the YouTube podcast audience is not exclusively tied to the platform
• Watchable podcasts are growing in popularity as 1 in 3 weekly podcast consumers now say they prefer actively watching podcasts with videos
• Podcast Newcomers are more likely to prefer actively watching podcast videos
• Preference for watchable video is a key driver in platform used most: YouTube is a runaway #1 among podcast consumers who prefer video
• YouTube dominates association as the platform where podcasts can be watched and heard
• Younger podcast consumers are more likely to consume a podcast because of the thumbnail image on YouTube versus older podcast consumers
• Text and the podcast title on the thumbnail are the biggest reasons podcast consumers will pick a podcast on YouTube

Click here to download a PDF of the full report.

Click here to sign up for a free webinar this Wednesday highlighting findings from the report.

Liz Mayer is the Insights Manager of the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group^®.

Paul Riismandel is the President/CEO of Signal Hill Insights.

Contact the Insights team at CorpMarketing@westwoodone.com