The biggest news for the podcasting world is the shift by Apple in measuring audiences almost every aspect of the business and is the biggest shift at the moment. There continues to be sustained audience growth, big splits between the larger and smaller players. There is a belief that the bigger companies need a further, deeper understanding of how shows are doing. Some people say there needs to be more. This is a slow and steady development from Apple but it’s a good first step.
The models breaking in are ‘limited run documentarires’ which are short and digestible. There is still a need to learn how to consume podcasts and this is a good accessible way to start. True crime and political content are big at the moment and indicates the ‘industry meeting the moment’. Game shows are a new area and are interesting and there is kids content coming which is a good use case. As the industry continues to grow will it maintain it’s level of experimentation, this comes down to commissioning editors. Looking at TV which is also in an experimental phase so it shows that this experimentation continues even in traditional media.
Right now in podcasting the sports podcast hasn’t been a total success, sports is hot if done well but it doesn’t seem to be driving podcasts. This will track American sports media journey into digital media. Blogs seem to be on the slide down, with more money coming into podcasts there is less monetary incentive for these shows. Things which audiences are tiring of; B-C list celebrity programme, certain times of true crime and hidden mysteries of everyday world due to saturation.
