Libsyn said that 88.2% of all downloads during May went directly to mobile devices, up from 87.1% a month earlier. At the same time downloads to desktop computers slid to 11.6%, compared to 12.7% in April. The tally also shows that downloads to smart speakers and gaming devices totaled 0.25% versus 0.28% in April. “Those changes definitely had to do with COVID-19 and people starting to get back out there and being just a little bit more mobile,” said Libsyn VP Rob Walch.
On the company’s The Feed podcast, Walch said the podcast download data tracks with the Mobile Trends Report from Apple, which shows more people driving. Those numbers show 25% more people are driving compared to January, while mass transit usage has been cut in half.
“This means if people are going back out, they’re doing so in their own vehicle not via public mass transit,” he said. Walch also noted that Apple says 97% of new cars sold in the U.S. are CarPlay-ready. “With people driving more, that means more opportunities to listen to podcasts,” he said.
Libsyn also reported 58.8% of May downloads of the shows it hosts went to listeners in the U.S., followed by the U.K. (5.7%), Canada (5.2%), Australia (3.7%), Sweden (3.0%), Germany (3.0%), France (2.0%), Brazil (1.5%), Mexico (1.3%) and Japan (1.3%). Walch said the top 20 countries were identical to April.
