Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has found that while podcasting is not the most popular form of online audio content, it is still sizeable, and there’s overlap with other audio mediums

MTM’s latest report found that more than a third (36%) of Anglophone Canadians listen to podcasts as part of their listening routine, with listenership growing by 20% since 2019. They are most popular with 18 to 34-year-olds, with 56% listening to podcasts, while 40% of 35 to 49-year-olds are listeners, 26% of 50- to 64-year-olds, and 15% of those 65+. Listeners skew slightly male.

Those surveyed report listening to 14.4 hours of online audio in a typical week, in addition to six hours of terrestrial radio content. Those who listen to podcasts also listen to some streaming music services or AM/FM radio in a given week.

Podcast listeners 18 to 34 are most likely to find content via social media and are twice as likely to use social media to find content than those aged 50 or older. Those aged 50 or older are more likely to use podcast websites to listen to content and discover content through these networks.

However, word of mouth remains the most common method to discover new content. A third of listeners say they hear about podcasts from friends, family, or colleagues, while a fifth cite social media as their primary method of discoverability. Among 18 to 34-year-olds who listen to podcasts, social media and word of mouth are equally popular.

The smartphone is by far the most popular device for listening to podcasts for four out of five respondents, likely because of portability, although older listeners are more likely to listen to podcasts on computers or tablets. Spotify (37%) and podcast apps (38%) are the most common ways listeners get their content with two-thirds saying they get their content from a single source. YouTube is the third most popular (19%) followed by podcast websites (14%). Only 12% of listeners say they access podcasts from three or more sources. 

Podcast listeners are a diverse group with a third of respondents born outside of Canada saying they listen to podcasts, as did a third of Indigenous respondents and 31% of persons with disabilities. Comedy is the most popular genre of podcasts mentioned, but politics and news are also popular. A second grouping of true crime, science, and history podcasts follows close behind with more than half of podcast listeners saying they listen to three or more different podcast genres.