Acast have released their Podcast Pulse 2025 report which was measured through a August study of 2600 global consumers from ten markets including Australia. While the target of the report is marketers, the takeaways for creators and consumers are equally interesting.
For daily listeners, 1 in 2 said the time spent with their favourite podcast was likely the highlight of their day. If you consider that podcasts are still, mostly, freely accessible, this joy in the listen harkens back to the glory days of television when you couldn’t wait for 6pm and the next episode of your favourite show. This says that consistency of release day and time matters and has impact.
More than any other social space, including YouTube, podcast content felt the most like a personal conversation. Radio was not included in this, but this does show the value of audio. Multi-platform increases the reach but audio creates a bond.
Audio and the video podcasts get the highest percentage of focused attention. If you think about how many people listen to an audio podcast while doing another activity, this stat seems counterintuitive. However due to the activities that are paired with a podcast being fitness related, driving or housework, the mind is fully engaged while the body is on autopilot, not the other way around. Audio podcasts had 70% of consumers saying they gave it full focus compared to radio’s 60%.
84% said a podcaster changed their mind on something they once believed in. 75% of the weekly podcast listeners surveyed said they didn’t consider podcasters for be influencers but then 84% of them went on to say that a podcaster had changed their mind on something they once believed in. The listener values the host’s perspective and, unlike a real conversation, without having to formulate a reply they can listen without that onus.
Podcasters rank alongside journalists for trust and credibility. Journalist podcasters would like you to be mindful of the difference however between and commentator and a trained and experienced journalist.
Podcasts are cultural drivers, not just passengers. Tied into podcasts being sought out not just served up 72% percent of listeners said their podcasts helped shaped the cultural conversation and they increased their listening during big news moments, sports events, elections and major entertainment gossip because they want deeper analysis and insider access from voices they trust.
A final point from Acast was plan for culture, not just reach. If you are setting an agenda then you need to build something flexible enough to grab the moments without losing any quality of production or trust with the consumer.
You can download and read the full chart here.