Generation Z and increased ad spending drive podcast creation

The observatory iVoox on the state of the creation of podcasts in Spanish determines that the sector enjoys the entry of new audiences and formats, consolidating itself as a profitable profession for the creator thanks to the spectacular financial support of advertisers and listeners.

The iVoox Observatory has published the results of its first annual Report on the State of the creation of podcasts in Spanish, made from a survey of nearly 600 podcasters, data extracted from its platform and a global analysis of sector trends.

Powered by the Spanish podcast platform iVoox, the report reveals the spectacular growth of the industry, which in 2010 counted just over 300 in Spanish, and now has nearly 500,000 podcasts. Likewise, so far this year, more than 62,000 podcasts have already been published, so an upward trend is predicted compared to 2022, when more than 81,000 were created.

As for the demographic profile, the podcast creator in Spanish is mostly male (58%), is between 35-54 years old (63.69%), works (80.98%), has university studies (42.42%) and publishes from Spain (68.18%). In this country, Madrid (25.49%) is positioned ahead of Catalonia (18.14%) and Andalusia (14.95%) as the community with the largest number of podcasters.

The vast majority affirm that their main motivation It is the hobby of talking about what you are passionate about as a hobby (58.69%), although more and more podcasters aspire to make a living from it (30.98%), and many others find in this activity the opportunity to do grow your business or personal brand (26.68%).

The podcast continues to grow, and it is a format that more and more creators are betting on. In this sense, 34.94% are new podcasters who published their podcast in the last year, and 32.87% of creators have been with their podcast for between 1 and 3 years. Likewise, 47.16% dedicate less than 1 hour a day to their podcast and usually publish weekly episodes (40.28%) that last between 30 minutes and 1 hour (33.91%).

He entertainment It is the genre that concentrates the greatest offer of content, and the themes of Cinema and Art and literature are those that condense the production of new programs. Regarding format, 58.52% of podcasts are conversational, followed by narrative (27.37%) and fiction (7.75%). Furthermore, according to the iVoox 2022 Observatory on podcast consumption, it is also the audience's favorite, who mostly listens to talks (59.76%) and interviews (46.08%).

This year, in addition, the serials (podcasts with a beginning and an end), especially documentaries and audiobooks. Furthermore, true crime has established itself as one of the undisputed favorites for listeners and producers. The adaptation of the podcast to new forms of consumption also stands out, with more and more content aimed at children and Generation Z, moving towards a format where there are more and more influencers and reference creators in an industry where new podcasts stand out. aimed at the youngest audience about mental health, pop culture or LGTBI themes.

Micropodcasting and live podcast

In an era where entertainment options are multiple and consumer attention is limited, snack content is becoming increasingly important in digital media. Podcasting is no stranger to this trend, and short podcasts are growing in almost all topics. The daily format has also become popular, both by independent creators and media outlets, who publish every day to disseminate current content in areas such as science, video games or marketing.

For his part, the videopodcast It has also come to stay, and although it is true that 47.77% of the podcasts created in the last year still do not have video, interest in this format continues to increase, and 24.89% of new creators are considering incorporating it into your content strategy. Furthermore, with the popularization of social networks such as TikTok or Instagram (Reels), microvideos They are a channel increasingly used by podcasters, who use them to share highlights of their episodes or unpublished fragments. This is a format that increases promotion options, and is the best way to bring your content closer to a younger audience.

Another of the most relevant trends is the rise of podcasts with audience, an option that 23.75% of creators already opt for with a format that allows them to strengthen the bond with their listeners, and also represents an extra monetization route with which they can generate income. The data suggests that live performances with audiences will continue to increase, as a result of the desire of creators and audiences to live a more immersive and participatory experience.

Advertising investment

More and more podcasters are launching into monetize their content, and 18.37% already do so through one or more means of income. In addition, monetization in the industry is increasingly established and listeners are willing to pay for content. Likewise, the mindset of creators has also changed, and 59.3% are considering starting to make money with their podcast.

The preferred method of monetization is direct support from listeners (35%), followed by subscription podcasts (20.30%), sponsorships and branded content (14.28%), as well as affiliation (11.07). %) and dynamic advertising (8.92%), for which they have useful tools such as iVoox's AdVoices marketplace. The platform's creators have already generated more than €3.3M through their different monetization schemes.

Furthermore, the branded podcast It does not stop growing, and in 2023 brand podcasts have multiplied, with approaches based above all on CSR and entertainment. For their part, creators feel increasingly comfortable carrying out advertising actions on their podcast, and the ones they like the most are sponsored mentions (53.36%), followed by advertising spots (47.35%). and campaigns in RRSS (42.23%).

Refering to investment in advertising, the global audio advertising market is expected to grow by 2% this year, exceeding $36 billion (Dentsu). In Spain, 85% of communication and advertising professionals continue to plan digital audio in their strategies (IAB Digital Audio Study 2023), and the forecast for this year is positive: almost 9 out of 10 professionals believe that investment in digital audio is going to increase. By sectors, telephony and home and food continue to lead advertising investment. In fact, an increase in advertising investment in Spain is forecast, which will reach 6.2 billion in 2023, with a growth of 0.7% compared to 2022, and which will reach 6.4 billion in 2025 ( Dentsu).

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