True crime, news and culture lead Australia's podcasting boom

Society and culture, true crime, and news continue to dominate the Australian podcasting landscape, showcasing the medium’s broad appeal.

That's according to Commercial Radio Australia's (CRA) 2024 Australian Podcast Report. True crime fans, in particular, are power listeners - 57% are more likely to clock in five-plus hours of content weekly.

The report also revealed the medium is on a meteoric rise across the country, with listenership up 37% in just two years and nearly 6 million tuning in weekly. The boom is fuelled by a growing pool of publishers and platforms, meeting the surging demand for on-the-go, on-demand audio.

CRA's chief executive officer, Lizzie Young, said: "Podcasting's growth and scale are undeniable, with 63% of podcasts now achieving over 100,000 average monthly downloads in 2024. This surge is fuelled by the diversity of content available and the ease of on- demand access."

Podcasting’s reach also remains strong, with 48% of younger Australians (18-34) listening in the last month. Additionally, 37% of Australians aged 35-54 and 21% aged 55+ also tuned in over the past month. This broad demographic appeal signals the growing popularity of the medium across all age groups.

Lizzie Young, Chief Executive Officer, CRA.

When it comes to a breakdown for genders, the report showed that men prefer sports, leisure and technology podcasts, while women opted for shows focused on kids and family, true crime and society and culture.

Young added: "As podcasting continues to evolve, it offers exceptional opportunities for advertisers to connect with audiences in meaningful and measurable ways."

The report also highlighted how mobile devices dominated podcasting consumption, with with 94.2% of listeners streaming via smartphones and tablets - cementing its place in everyday life and on-the-go entertainment.

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