In this episode, we delve deep into the evolving world of podcasts and exploring how podcasts have become a crucial medium for news consumption. We’ll analyze recent trends, highlight key changes in listener behavior, and discuss the implications of podcasts in the digital age. Join us as we navigate through the diverse podcasting terrain, examining its impact on media, culture, and information dissemination. Whether you’re a podcast enthusiast, a casual listener, or new to this format, this episode offers valuable insights into the ever-changing landscape of podcast listening.

• Growing Popularity: The study indicates a significant increase in the number of Americans using podcasts as a source of news, with 41% reporting podcast news consumption.
  
• Demographic Trends: Younger audiences, in particular, are turning to podcasts for news, highlighting a shift in news consumption habits among different age groups.
  
• Trust in Podcast News: The research explores the trustworthiness of podcast news, comparing it to traditional news sources and shedding light on the factors influencing this trust.
  
• Podcasts are popular: About half of Americans have listened to a podcast in the past year, and one-in-five of those listeners say they listen to a podcast nearly every day.
  
• Listeners turn to podcasts for entertainment, learning, and simply to have something to listen to while doing something else.
  
• Comedy, entertainment, and politics are at the top of the list of topics that podcast listeners say they regularly listen to.
  
• Most podcast listeners say they hear news discussed on podcasts – however, just one-in-five listeners say they listen to a podcast that’s connected to a news organization.
  

https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/

Podcasts have emerged as a significant source of news and information, according to a recent study by Pew Research.

In 2020, 22% of TikTok users reported getting news from the app, but that surged to 43% in 2023, according to Pew.

Nearly 25% get their news from YouTube, with Instagram, TikTok and X — the social media platform formerly known as Twitter — following in popularity.

TikTok has shown far more growth than any other platform since 2020, and that growth was consistent across all age demographics.

People getting news from TikTok double since 2020, from Pew Research

In fact, according to SXM Media’s Culture Trends Study, 80% of listeners specify that they “want unbiased and factual information from news podcasts.”

Meanwhile, SXM Media’s recent user study found that 51% of news listeners say that podcasts are authentic and trustworthy.

That number drops down to 6% for cable television and 2% for social media.

Data from SiriusXM.

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