Podcasting’s Global Boom Reveals A Different Competitive Picture In U.S.

YouTube have the largest global podcast audience, but the competition for American listeners remains considerably more crowded. A new report from MIDiA Research finds that while YouTube has emerged as the world’s largest podcast platform, several audio services continue to command a substantial share of the U.S. market. The findings offer a more nuanced picture of podcasting’s changing competitive landscape as the industry approaches one billion monthly active accounts worldwide.

MIDiA’s “Podcast Market Shares 2025” report estimates that podcast platforms collectively reached 965.4 million monthly active accounts worldwide during the fourth quarter of 2025, an increase of 60.5 million from a year earlier. YouTube accounted for 27 million of those additional accounts, extending its lead over competing platforms.

But the American market tells a somewhat different story.

YouTube holds a 39% share of U.S. podcast platform users, according to MIDiA’s estimates. Spotify ranks second with 25%, followed by Apple Podcasts at 18%. The remaining 19% is spread across other services, including iHeartRadio, NPR, SiriusXM and Audible. That means more than six in ten U.S. podcast platform accounts are on services other than YouTube, despite the video giant’s increasingly dominant position. And while Apple Podcasts has struggled to maintain its global growth momentum, it continues to account for nearly one in five American podcast platform accounts.

The American podcast market is also continuing to expand. MIDiA estimates 207.1 million gross monthly active podcast accounts in the U.S. at the end of 2025 vs. 192.7 million a year earlier.

“Podcasting is a nascent industry and growth remains strong,” says Laura Fisher, Audio and Entertainment Analyst at MIDiA Research. “Since 2020 we’ve seen an 184% growth in the number of global monthly active accounts. Growth in overseas markets, the pandemic boom, and diversification of platforms has all contributed to this.”

Globally, YouTube’s podcast audience grew from 281.2 million monthly users in 2024 to 308.2 million in 2025, giving it a 31.9% market share. Spotify added 10.8 million users to reach 174.5 million, representing 18.1% of the worldwide market. Together, the two platforms account for half of global podcast platform activity, a concentration that MIDiA says reflects the advantages of companies that already have large entertainment audiences.

China’s Ximalaya FM technically ranks second worldwide with 282 million monthly users and a 29.2% share. But its audience is concentrated almost entirely in China, where YouTube doesn’t operate. Excluding China, Spotify is YouTube’s closest global competitor.

The competitive balance also varies considerably by country.  YouTube controls the most podcast platform accounts in India and Brazil, while Spotify remains especially strong in Northern Europe thanks to its Swedish roots.

That shift is also changing the balance of power between podcast creators and distributors. YouTube and Spotify can introduce podcasts to consumers who already use their services for music, video and other entertainment. Dedicated audio platforms, by contrast, must work harder to attract and retain users without the same breadth of content.

“The major audio and video platforms have been paying attention, in a world unlike music where podcast production is very fragmented, the platforms who hold significant market share have much more bargaining power,” says MIDiA Forecasting and Modelling Analyst Mark Qi.

While the podcasting industry has traditionally focused on listenership, regardless of platform, Fisher says their podcast market share model offers a new perspective. It measures the competitive landscape through the platforms themselves. “As the industry evolves from individual hit shows to broader networks and platform ecosystems, understanding market share will be increasingly valuable in identifying opportunities for growth and success,” she predicts.