English- and French-speaking audiences in Canada have similar appetites for podcast content, but there are notable differences when it comes to the content they listen to and how effective audio advertising is in driving purchases.

That’s according to research from podcast hosting platform Acast, which utilized survey platform Toluna to better understand the differences and commonalities between the two audiences.

Frequency of consumption is similar between audiences, with 18% of English-speaking listeners and 15% of French-speaking listeners listening daily. That stat increases to 41% of English speakers and 45% of French speakers when looking at weekly listenership.

The top genres among these audiences is where the differences are first seen. The top five English-speaking genres are comedy, true crime, talk show, health/lifestyle and news. But music is the top genre among French-speaking audiences, followed by comedy, health/lifestyle, true crime and sports.

Among English-speaking listeners, 79% who listen to audio ads have looked at an advertiser’s website, while 71% have made a purchase because of an audio ad. Among French-speaking listeners, 84% have looked at an advertiser’s website after hearing an audio ad, but only 60% have made a purchase.

There’s a similar pattern when it comes to host-read ads. With English-speaking listeners, 74% have looked at an advertiser’s website and an identical 74% have made a purchase as a result of hearing a host-read ad. Among French-speaking listeners, 80% say they have looked at an advertiser’s website, while 64% have made a purchase.