An interesting research detailing the new popularity of Video Podcast content in US has emerged. According to Cumulus Media, the share of US consumers watching video podcast content is rising rapidly, reaching 40% of all users last year – up 12 percentage points since 2022.
Conversely, the number of those who enjoy podcasts with audio only and without video has dropped from 43% to 31%. This mirrors the trend spotlighted in WARC Media’s latest report, Global Ad Trends: Podcast media sets sights on video boom, where podcast media is becoming increasingly visual, with YouTube and Spotify leading the way.
YouTube claims that viewers watched over 400 million hours of podcasts per month on TV in 2024, while Spotify reported a 39% year-on-year increase in average daily video streams. The behaviour is most prevalent among Gen Z users: in the first five months of 2024, the younger cohort watched 2.9 billion minutes of video podcast content, up 58% year-on-year.
The preference for video or audio also greatly impacts podcast platform choices. YouTube is used by only 13% of those who prefer audio-only podcasts. In contrast, 43% of listeners who favour video components choose YouTube most often.
The shift towards video podcasts opens up the ad channel for creators and brands who partner with influencers. The report outlines that podcasts are being integrated into influencer marketing programmes and other content-first strategies by marketers, even “as top-of-funnel support for e-commerce”, as noted by Timi Siytangco, Key Account Director (Asia) at Acast, in an interview. Spotify found a +55% lift in intent for campaigns with an audio and video takeover versus audio-only campaigns.
Meanwhile, challenges such as distribution and engagement exist. Age-appropriateness restrictions on video platforms like YouTube can severely limit the reach of publishers’ video podcast content. And nearly one-third of weekly podcast consumers prefer listening to a podcast while the video is minimised or playing in the background.
