Why do French people listen to podcasts?

According to recent studies, around 57% of Americans listened to at least one podcast program this year. In the USA, between 2020 and 2021, podcast consumption is expected to grow by around 116 million listeners. Meanwhile, the French listen to 100 million native or replay podcasts every month, with an average of 16.9 podcasts per listener (source: Harris Media). Worse still, 20% of French people who have never listened to podcasts plan to do so! (Yougov report, 2022)

But why is this audio format so popular? What does podcasting offer that listeners can't find elsewhere?

We'll take a closer look at this phenomenon for you...

Podcast consumption statistics in France

The death of radio in France?

Since 2018, FM radio stations have lost nearly 3 million listeners.Yet 82% of French people listen to audio content every day (Médiamétrie, 2022). This digital audio consumption takes place via :

• Listen to podcasts,
• Radio on demand,
• Streaming music.

The explosion of native podcasts

But of all these formats, it's the native podcast that's undergoing the most powerful evolution, with 5.8 million French people listening to native podcasts at least once a week. Today, 33% of French listeners listen to podcasts, compared with 29% in 2020... and 23% in 2019 (Study carried out by Havas Paris and CSA Research).

We're talking about 52% growth per year in France ( Harris Media survey).

Who listens to Podcasts in France?

The portrait of podcast listeners in France evolves as the medium becomes more popular, but we can still define certain criteria.

Executives working in large conurbations

Probably linked to the need for learning mentioned above, podcasts are very popular with the CSP+. In fact, according to the CSA-Havas study, 2021, 27% of listeners are senior executives and 50% live in or near a large city.

Young people are fans of native podcasts

The average age of radio listening in France is around 55. In the podcast sector, however, the opposite is true. In fact, 60% of the audience listening to native podcasts is under 35. Better still, the "youth" niche, between 15 and 20, is currently taking off with content related to mental health.

Families increasingly inclined to native podcasting

59% of French families with children listen to native podcasts - a powerful figure, given that the pandemic has boosted listening among already avid listeners, especially for parents concerned about screen time.

4 reasons why French people listen to podcasts?

1. Podcasts meet the need for autonomy

When we're watching a YouTube video, reading a blog post on our mobile or watching a live stream on Instagram, our hands have to hold the mobile. So, compared with other media, the advantage of podcasts lies in the fact that they leave the listener's hands free.

It is therefore listened to during :

• Individual and public transport times
• Sports sessions and physical activities
• Manual or professional activities.

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Podcasts offer unique freedom

‍Incontrast to live radio, the listener can :

• Pause the podcast,
• Listen to the episode later,
• Pass a passage that doesn't interest him.

Listeners can listen to their podcast whenever they want, wherever they want, with no constraints.

2. Podcasts meet the need for authenticity

The podcast, synonymous with immersion

‍Accordingto a survey conducted by Yougov, 62% of listeners aged 18-24 say that audio gives them an in-depth experience. The voice, the tone, the breath of the host and his guests, it doesn't deceive.

‍Thepodcast synonymous with authentic content

‍Infact, listeners are weary:

• Inspiring publications on Linkedin,
• Misleading Instagram posts by influencers
• Youtube video made to please the algorithm.

Podcasting, on the other hand, is all about authenticity. According to the 2nd CSA - Havas Paris study (which we relayed in our article Podcast in France: key figures - CALLIOPÉ), listeners consider that they can find content that doesn't exist elsewhere.

‍3. Podcasts meet learning needs

Unlike Instagram, TikTok or Youtube... 43% of French people listen to podcasts for information. This is ahead of entertainment (42%). That's why social and current affairs topics (32%) top the list of content listened to. And 30% of female content creators offer podcasts on cultural or social topics. (Acast Barometer, 2022)

There's a real desire among listeners to use podcasts to educate themselves. This trend is confirmed by the Yougov, 2022 report, which explains that :

• 41% want to know more about subjects that interest them,
• 84% see podcasts as a way of shedding light on social issues,
• 74% say they have already changed their perception or opinion on a subject after listening to a podcast.

Worse still, it responds to the need for reflection with more specialized content (+7 points from 2019 to 2020).

4. Podcasting for mental health

It's not news that confinement has mentally weakened the population. Especially among the younger generations. Spotify's latest Culture Next 2021 report, in fact, gives some pretty crazy figures on this trend. In France, 70% of Generation Y and 62% of Generation Z say they use audio to reduce their stress levels.

‍Proof of this is the considerable increase in listening among French Generation Z on Spotify :

• 330% for mental health,
• 173% for personal development
• 136% for health in general.

A trend echoed by the Yougov Report, 2022, which explains that :

• 69% of weekly listeners say that listening to a podcast helps them to reconcile with themselves.
• 82% think it's a way of refocusing on oneself.
• 86% allows you to open up to others through sharing and discussion, in comments or in real life.

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Avner UZAN