If you binged on a political podcast during the election, you certainly were not the only one.
A report by the Press Gazette this week said that political podcasts rose in popularity by more than 50% in the last few months, at a time of year when podcasts usually quieten down for the Summer holidays.
And whilst the exact numbers of some of the most well known podcasts are a closely guarded secret, it is clear that shows such as The Rest is Politics, Electoral Dysfunction, Pod Save the UK and The News Agents have seen significant increases in listenership, with The News Agents about to reach 100 million all-time downloads. And on election day, BBC Sounds had its second busiest day in the last 18 months (they won’t say the most popular date, but I imagine it could have been the passing of the late Queen.)
Whilst podcasts have been booming in popularity, the same cannot be said for traditional TV. News channels actually saw slight declines in audience figures compared to this time last year, despite an election. These declines could be down to the fact that who was going to win the election was a foregone conclusion ahead of election day, which meant that audiences weren’t as tempted to tune in. Or, it could be that we flick to podcasts not to hear the latest political developments, but to listen to people’s opinions on whether this is a good or bad thing, or why things are the way they are.
To read the full report, head to the Press Gazette website.
