Posted on 01/15/2024 5:25:30 AM PST by FarCenter
Apple has quietly tightened its reporting of how many people listen to podcasts, sending shock waves through an embattled audio industry still reeling from the end of the COVID-era production bubble.
The shift, Apple wrote in a blog post, was technical: The dominant podcasting platform had begun switching off automatic downloads for users who haven’t listened to five episodes of a show in the last two weeks.
But while few users noticed the shift, some of the biggest podcasts in the world saw their official listener numbers drop dramatically. Long-running shows that publish frequently were hit particularly hard. A user who listened to a show like The New York Times’ The Daily a few times, subscribed, but stopped listening would continue to count as a download indefinitely. Even better under the old rules: For people who listened to a show, dropped off for a while, but started listening again later, Apple would automatically download every show in between. The arrangement drove big download numbers, a crucial metric for ad sales and a sign of the vast reach of podcasts as a medium.
For instance, The Daily and Dateline both publicly touted reaching over a billion total downloads. But representatives for these shows would not say if those numbers or other impressive daily or weekly download stats are still accurate, though several of the biggest podcasts acknowledged privately to Semafor that they had seen noticeable declines, and were still trying to determine the actual size of their audience following the change.
The shift came with no immediate warning. People who work on audio at The New York Times, NPR, and other major publishers told Semafor they were surprised by the September change, which had been years in the making but came with no advanced warning from Apple. One podcast network told Semafor it had seen its downloads drop between single digits and low double digits depending on the show. Another well-known podcaster and executive said for some shows, the decline in downloads was as high as 40%.
“Nearly every podcast that regularly publishes got an enormous haircut,” one podcast industry insider said.
Media naturally pimps its own importance, not willing to admit its impotence.
Hi, Mom!
It’s a podcast recession.
Jao BiXiden’s fault.
I wonder how Big Tech will silence the conservative podcast world, much the same as they replaced many conservative voices on radio with “sports talk.”
Right now it still feels like the internet in the early days. I can still find and freely listen to a wide range of voices.
I wonder how Big Tech will silence the conservative podcast world, much the same as they replaced many conservative voices on radio with “sports talk.”
Right now it still feels like the internet in the early days. I can still find and freely listen to a wide range of voices.
By going after the publisher and service. Already happening.
This is only natural. The insertion of Biden caused podcasts popping up everywhere. Like all you non important folk have anything important to say to us that deem you unimportant, eh?
What I like about podcast is I can listen to them on my schedule. Recall the early days of RUSH when one had to listen when he was on to hear him. Now I can pull up 2 or 3 folks I like to listen when I want, its much better.
I think I found the problem.
Rush would be the only podcast I would be interested in. Sad to say, my life has changed since noon to 3 is no longer pencilled in on my weekday schedule.
I’m not spending hours commuting anymore, but even if I were I don’t understand how people can devote an hour or even a half-hour listening to a pre-recorded podcast. That was one of the features of Rush’s show - it was live. Appointment radio. The man had a way with words. It truly was a gift.
There are very few people or shows today I would watch a pre-recorded news broadcast from, Tucker Carlson is about the only one.
I’ve found very few podcasts worth listening to - tried out a number and never listened again b/c of so much blather.
Dateline is an exception and I prefer it as a podcast.
Next they’ll be telling us that blogging is becoming worthless.
So, is the whole industry shrinking or are the big players just losing numbers as more and more competition enters the market?
A good question.
Because of this change in Apple’s listener accounting, ALL podcasts are seeing major drops in ad revenue.
The costs for spoken ads in a podcast is determined by a complex formula that favors the syndicate - i.e. Spotify - not the podcaster.
Smaller podcasts get beat up so most are transitioning to a subscriber model.
However, knowing this information, I will make sure to listed to Steve Gibson (a tech podcast) at least once a month.
True Crime podcasts are pretty good. There are also some good WW2 podcasts. Too many podcasters don’t know how to stay on topic.
Are these guys not getting their share of it?
Could you recommend a couple? - my son would love to listen to a good WW II podcast.
I’m also interested in good true crime.
Thanks,
Bon
https://ww2podcast.com/ - very good mostly about books
https://worldwariipodcast.net/ - up to 450 episodes and just got to Moscow
https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3AWA4CZD - Actual radio broadcasts from the war era by year
Thanks - will check those out.
My son listens to Dan Carlin in the car and I always fall asleep...
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