Otonal, in collaboration with The Asahi Shimbun Company, releases the results of the "Survey of Podcast Usage in Japan".
Usage rates for all ages are on par with TikTok. April 19th 2024

Download page for “PODCAST REPORT IN JAPAN Survey of Podcast Usage in Japan #4” is below.
https://otonal.co.jp/en/download-list/podcast-report-in-japan04.html

”Podcasts" are one of the most popular internet radio media in the world. They are used around the world as a way for anyone to distribute audio and easily listen to audio content from smartphones and PCs.

The advertising market for podcasts in the U.S. is expected to grow 26% year-on-year to $1.825 billion in 2022, and to reach approximately $4 billion in 2025*.

Otonal and Asahi Shimbun have jointly conducted the "PODCAST REPORT IN JAPAN Survey of Podcast Usage in Japan" since 2020 to understand the usage of podcasts in Japan and deepen the understanding of podcast users.

This year's survey, the fourth in the series, was conducted from December 8 to December 9, 2023, targeting 10,000 men and women aged 15 to 69. The report, "PODCAST REPORT IN JAPAN: Survey on Podcast Usage in Japan #4," summarizing usage rates, usage scenarios, usage methods, and comparisons with other media, has now been released in English.

*From ”U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study (May 2023)”, IAB

Download page for “PODCAST REPORT IN JAPAN Survey of Podcast Usage in Japan #4” is below.
https://otonal.co.jp/en/download-list/podcast-report-in-japan04.html

※Estimated from the population and Internet usage rate of each age group of 15~69 years old.
※Please be sure to specify [Research conducted by Otonal Inc./The Asahi Shimbun Company] when using the survey results and graphs in this release.

▼Survey Results (Excerpt)

■Podcasts have high usage among young people: about 1 in 3 among 15-19 year-olds and 1 in 4 among those in their 20s

The survey of 10,000 respondents, including general users, found that 15.7% listened to podcasts at least once a month, which classifies them as monthly active users. In particular, the usage rate among 15-19-year-olds was 32.8%, or about 1 in 3 in this age group, and among those in their 20s, the usage rate was 25%, with 1 in 4 using podcasts monthly.

■Podcast usage is on par with TikTok

Podcast usage was on par with TikTok. It is ahead of Netflix, magazines, and Abema in usage among all age groups. When restricted to 15-29-year-olds, podcast usage was 27.4% (#8 across all media), ahead of Amazon Prime Video, radio, Facebook, and newspapers.

■Nearly 50% of all listeners listen to 3 or more shows regularly

Nearly 40% of all listeners listen to podcasts at least three times a week. In particular, 48.0% of users aged 15-19 listen to podcasts more frequently than other generations. In addition, nearly 50% of users listen to 3 or more programs regularly. This is an increase of 7 points from the previous survey.

Just under 60% of podcast users are under 39 years old. By gender, males make up the majority.

In terms of age, 38.8% of all podcast users are between 15 and 29 years old, and 56.9% are between 15-39-years-old. 15-to 39-year-olds have a higher percentage of younger users when compared to other media, such as Instagram and radio. In terms of gender, there were more males than females (57.3% males).

■Teens love podcasts for entertainment; 20-somethings enjoy listening to podcasts while feeling close to the podcasters

Teenagers are the most likely to use podcasts, with about 1 in 3 listeners, and 48% of listeners listen to podcasts at least 3 days per week. As for entertainment, there is a trend toward using music apps to enjoy shows such as comedy/comedy. Among users in their 20s, one in four are podcast listeners, and those in their 20s enjoy listening to shows while enjoying the proximity to the podcasters. They also tend to have more empathy and trust in podcasters than in TV or information from social media.

■Spotify is #1 way to listen to podcasts; Amazon Music is #2. Age trends by service were also revealed.

Spotify was the most popular way to listen to podcasts (platform used for listening) at 35.2%, followed by Amazon Music (19.8%), other websites (15.6%), Apple Podcast (15.2%), YouTube Music (9.3%), and Radio Cloud (9.3%). As for age trends by platform, Spotify and YouTube Music are used by a relatively younger demographic, while Amazon Music, other websites, and Apple Podcast are used by a relatively older demographic.

■87.1% of users listen to podcasts while doing something else

Driving (23.8%), public transportation (23.5%), housework (23.4%), walking (23.3%), and working on a hobby (22.2%) were the top listening situations, with nearly identical scores. With 87.1% of listeners listening to podcasts while doing something, we found that listening to podcasts while doing something else is a widespread practice.

■Some listeners say they can listen to shows while doing work

In an open-ended response to the question, "What was good about listening to podcasts?" many respondents appreciated the "listening while doing something else" functionality that only audio can provide, such as "I can listen to what I want to listen to whenever I want" and "I can listen to a podcast while doing other work."

Some respondents also said that they use podcasts as learning content, such as saying they learned how to listen to English or their language skills improved as a result of podcasts.

All answers are available (only in Japanese) at the link below.
https://otonal.co.jp/podcast-report-in-japan04/voice2024

■Podcast listening reasons differed between generations

As for the listening characteristics by age group, we found that many people in their 20s "enjoy the closeness to the podcaster" and those in their 30s and 40s "enjoy content that is only available on podcasts."

■Heavy podcast listeners (those who listen to 5 or more programs) gave higher positive responses to all items when compared to the general public in regards to audio advertisements.

Heavy podcast listeners (5 or more programs) scored higher than podcast listeners as a whole in all categories of what they feel when listening to audio advertisements, especially in the four areas of "product or service recall," "search intention," "increased likability," and "intention to purchase/use a product", were they were 10 points higher than regular listeners.

In addition, heavy listeners were more willing to take positive action in response to podcast programs.

■60% of listeners search for information heard on podcasts, and 40% have purchased after listening to podcasts.

In terms of actions taken in response to information heard on podcasts, over 60% of podcast listeners indicated that they have searched for information regularly. More than 40% of podcast users have purchased a product or visited a place they heard about in a podcast.

■Podcasts have a higher percentage of corporate decision-makers (executives, board members, managers) than other media while also connecting with students

A comparative study of podcast users' occupations with the other six media outlets revealed that corporate decision-makers (executives, directors, and managers) accounted for the highest percentage of podcast users at 13.1%. The percentage of students was also high, at 16.1%, second only to TikTok among all media, indicating that this media is familiar to younger users.

■Podcast listeners are more sensitive than non-listeners to information

In a survey comparing information sensitivity by media users, podcast listeners had the highest results across all response categories. Podcast listeners tend to be highly sensitive to new trends.

In particular, they were more than 10 points more sensitive to two items: "I am quicker than others to adopt products and new services" and "Others often ask me about new trends."

Survey Overview
Survey Period：2023/12/08 (Friday) - 2023/12/09 (Saturday)
Survey Method：Internet Survey
Survey Country：Japan
Survey Target：Men and Women between the ages of 15-69
Overall survey of 10,000 people, survey of people who listen to podcasts at least once a month 600 people (weightback tabulation based on population composition ratio)

The information posted is only an excerpt of the report.

In the actual report, other survey results are also described as follows.

The detailed report can be viewed on the following page.
https://otonal.co.jp/en/download-list/podcast-report-in-japan04.html

▼An in-depth commentary on this study was delivered on the "MEDIA TALK" program of the Asahi Shimbun podcast.
Only available in Japanese at the following links:
(March 6, Part 1) https://omny.fm/shows/asahi/50-296
(March 7, Part 2) https://omny.fm/shows/asahi/50-297
You can also listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, and other podcast apps.

About Otonal Inc.

Otonal Inc. is an audio advertising company that develops digital audio advertising business by combining sound with ad technology.
With a mission to create a new market for digital audio in Japan, we provide digital audio advertising proposals to advertisers, support for podcasts and audio distribution, and audio advertising space implementation solutions for media companies.
We also operate a service to create new encounters between podcast programs and listeners and provide a podcast advertising menu.
▶Podcast Portal Ranking Site “Podcast Ranking”
▶Best Podcast Episodes Database “Podcastpedia”
▶Web magazine that explores the “now” of audio and marketing “AUDIO MARKETING INSIGHTS”
▶Podcast Ad Network
▶Podcaster Host Read Audio Ad Solution “Podcaster Promotion”

【Otonal Inc.】
Representative Director: Taisuke Yagi
Location: Sakuma Building 4F, 3-9-2 Irifune, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Business Description: Ad sales of digital voice advertising, ad technology implementation for voice publishers, data development support, voice creative production
URL: ▶https://otonal.co.jp/

■About The Asahi Shimbun Company / Asahi Shimbun Podcasts

The Asahi Shimbun Company aims to create and provide new value while fulfilling its news and speech organization responsibilities under the slogan, "If you connect, you will see.”
The Asahi Shimbun podcasts transcend the boundaries of conventional news coverage in all areas, including events, politics, and the economy, getting close to the facts and conveying them with a passion and realism that only audio can convey. Our reporters convey complex issues without simplification and with the full range of words. Enjoy unexpected encounters with a variety of topics.
▶Asahi Shimbun Podcast Media Guide
▶Asahi Shimbun Digital Podcast Summary
▶Official X

【The Asahi Shimbun Company】
President and Representative Director: Shiro Nakamura
Location of Tokyo Head Office: 5-3-2 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Business Description: Publication of daily newspapers, etc.
URL: ▶https://www.asahi.com/corporate/

For a detailed report of this survey, please click here.

https://otonal.co.jp/en/download-list/podcast-report-in-japan04.html