Podcasts Increasingly Popular Among Young People

43 percent of the study's respondents listen to podcasts at least occasionally, while among 15- to 29-year-olds, it is already 67 percent, which represents an increase of ten percentage points compared to 2024. One fifth of those under 30 use the audio format daily or almost daily.

Online Audio Monitor: Podcasts as a Source of Information

For the Online Audio Monitor, 4,000 people aged 15 and over were surveyed online by the market research institute Ipsos from mid-May to mid-June. This reveals that podcasts have matured into an important source of information. 42 percent of users say these are the main source or one of the main sources of information about current events for them. Consequently, it is not surprising that 40 percent of users listen to podcasts on politics and society. The topics of health (38 percent) and science or technology (32 percent) are also popular.

A look at the latest podcast ranking by the Austrian Circulation Control (ÖAK) shows that the "Standard" podcast "Thema des Tages" led the way in August with 553,244 valid downloads in Austria (667,487 downloads in total - including abroad). The history podcast "Geschichten aus der Geschichte" achieved 439,970 downloads in Austria and about three million downloads in total. On the occasion of its tenth anniversary, the creators are on tour through Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. The two dates on Saturday at the Globe Vienna are already sold out. The comedy podcast "Hawi D'Ehre" falls into the comedy category, achieving 284,504 downloads in Austria and 310,421 downloads in total.

Six Out of Ten Express Willingness to Pay for Podcasts

About half of the respondents of the Online Audio Monitor listen exclusively to freely accessible podcasts. 63 percent are generally willing to pay for a podcast. The most frequently mentioned reasons for this are an ad-free listening experience (29 percent) and exclusive content (25 percent). There is skepticism, however, towards the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the audio sector. 39 percent consider AI-generated music programs acceptable. Many respondents can also live well with AI-generated weather forecasts or traffic reports (38 percent). However, AI-generated music (25 percent), AI-generated voices of well-known people (18 percent), and AI-generated podcasts (18 percent) meet with little understanding. Overall, 42 percent of respondents classify AI as a threat to our democracy, while only 21 percent believe that AI will positively change our society.

YouTube and Spotify Compete in Music Streaming

According to the Online Audio Monitor 2025, 91 percent of respondents use online audio services at least occasionally, and among 15- to 29-year-olds, it is 100 percent. Audio-on-demand (87 percent) and music streaming (82 percent) lead the way and remain stable compared to 2024. In the latter, YouTube is at the top with 59 percent of respondents (at least occasional use), while Spotify comes in at 47 percent. Among those under 30, Spotify (65 percent) clearly surpasses YouTube (52 percent).

(APA/Red)

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