Americans are turning to podcast for a good laugh more than anything else. That is according to Spotify’s annual report on listening trends on its app. The 2023 Podcast Trends Report says more than a third of total listening hours to podcasts – 35% – went to comedy podcasts during the past year. That is double the hours spent listening to Society & Culture or Lifestyle & Health podcasts. Based on Spotify listening Americans are not all that different than the rest of the world with similar trends seen in other markets for the streamer.
The content areas that have seen the most growth in listening hours worldwide this year have been Parenting podcasts, up 88% year-to-year, followed by shows in the Business & Tech News subgenre, which saw a 72% jump in listening hours.
“Diving deeper, our data indicates that listeners seem to be prioritizing personal growth, “the report says. “Becoming a better parent or a better personal overall seems to be a focus area, with Parenting and self-improvement content among the top ten subcategories in terms of year-over-year growth. Specialized sports like cycling, baseball, and Australian football are also on the rise, along with business and tech topics.” But podcast listeners also like a big of fun too, and Spotify says it saw listening hours to content in the Celebrity category grow by 60%.
The report also details some of the listening trends that Spotify has seen on its own app. It says during the past year the strongest growth rate for podcast listening has been among those aged 45 and older, with those between 55 and 64 showing the most growth of all.
In the U.S., Spotify reports a 50% uptick in podcast listening among that age group, with users aged 65 and older nearly matching it – with 49% growth from a year ago. Podcast is more in the U.S. than in Europe, where Spotify say even stronger gains in listening among older listeners – doubling in France and more than doubling in Italy. Worldwide the average growth rate was 65% among 55- to 64-year-old Spotify users.
Download the full report HERE.