Podcasts did not emerge overnight, but developed in the early 2000s from the combination of two technical building blocks: RSS feeds and portable MP3 players. The term itself can be traced back to 2004 and is a creation of words from “iPod” and “broadcast”. The real breakthrough came in 2005 from Apple: With iTunes 4.9, the company integrated native podcast support into the software for the first time. Given the enormous reach of iTunes, it succeeded in establishing podcasts as a medium – and numerous other providers have long since jumped on the bandwagon to attract listeners with exclusive podcast content (e.g. Spotify). The market has changed rapidly
Current figures from Edison Research show that this is no longer a niche industry. As recently as 2015, 75 percent of listening time for spoken audio formats was on classic radio, while podcasts only achieved 10 percent. Ten years later, the picture has changed fundamentally, as podcasts overtook classic radio for the first time. Edison records a share of 40 percent here, radio only accounts for 39 percent. What is particularly remarkable is the pace of development, as the gap of 65 percentage points at that time has now become a small gap. The figures mentioned refer to the US market; unfortunately, exact comparative values for Europe are not available. However, the trend is quite similar.
Apple now offers monetization – and is expanding video podcasts
Podcasts are no longer just “hobby radio shows” in which random people talk about their personal hobbies. Instead, there are countless professionally produced formats, including from well-known broadcasters. Almost five years ago, Apple created the ability to monetize podcasts directly via the Apple platform through subscription fees. Just a few days ago, the announcement was made to take the next step in video podcasts and support HTTP live streaming including the integration of advertising networks.
