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🪦 Podfaded: How many podcasts have stopped publishing? (and why this signals opportunity)

🪦 Podfaded: How many podcasts have stopped publishing?

Purpose and Context

The primary goal of this analysis is to dispel the myth that there are "too many podcasts" and demonstrate the substantial opportunities available for new shows within the podcast industry. This report is intended for professionals in the podcast industry, including networks, publishers, production companies, and content creators. The analysis aims to provide insights into the current state of the podcast landscape, focusing on the activity levels across various podcast categories.

Dataset Overview

The dataset includes the number of total, active, and inactive podcasts across several popular categories as of May 31, 2024. An "Active" podcast is defined as one that regularly publishes new episodes, whereas "Inactive" podcasts have ceased regular publication.

Using Podchaser Pro, we compiled 3 primary datapoints:

• Total # of Podcasts by Category

• Total # of Active Podcasts by Category

• Total # of Inactive Podcasts by Category

We also provide % Active and % Inactive by Category. NOTE(s): this dataset includes ALL podcasts globally. Inactive as defined as no longer publishing new episodes.

First we’ll look at the data. Then we’ll provide analysis.

Key Insights and Metrics

1. Percentage of Active Podcasts Across Categories

   • Business: 15.97%

   • Health & Fitness: 14.25%

   • Comedy: 9.07%

   • Culture: 5.95%

   • News: 14.69%

   • Sports: 15.17%

   • Kids & Family: 11.33%

   • Religion/Spirituality: 16.71%

   • True Crime: 17.98%

   • Film/TV: 13.23%

2. Total Number of Podcasts

   • The total number of podcasts across categories ranges from 24,037 (True Crime) to 1,272,628 (Culture), illustrating the vast diversity and volume within the podcast industry.

3. Active vs. Inactive Podcasts

   • A significant proportion of podcasts are inactive across all categories, with active podcasts representing a smaller percentage of the total number. This highlights the potential for new entrants to fill gaps left by inactive podcasts.

4. Category-Specific Opportunities

   • True Crime has the highest percentage of active podcasts (17.98%), indicating a highly engaged audience. Conversely, categories like Culture (5.95%) and Comedy (9.07%) have lower activity rates, suggesting opportunities for new content.

5. Inactive Podcast Analysis

   • Categories with high numbers of inactive podcasts, such as Culture and Religion/Spirituality, may indicate areas where listeners are underserved by current offerings, presenting opportunities for new, active podcasts to capture audience interest.

6. Potential Market Gaps

   • Categories with a large number of inactive podcasts but substantial overall volume, such as Business and Health & Fitness, offer fertile ground for new shows to attract listeners seeking fresh, relevant content.

Data Visualizations

Comparative Analysis of Podcasts, YouTube Channels, and X/Twitter Accounts

Overview

To provide a comprehensive understanding of the content landscape, we’ll compare the number of active and inactive podcasts with YouTube channels and X/Twitter accounts. This will help illustrate the opportunities and challenges across these platforms and debunk the myth of "too many podcasts," relative to other media platforms.

Podcasts

From the dataset:

• Total Podcasts: Varied by category, e.g., 1,272,628 (Culture), 24,037 (True Crime).

• Active Podcasts: 5.95% (Culture) to 17.98% (True Crime).

• Inactive Podcasts: Majority in each category, highlighting opportunities for new content.

YouTube Channels

Based on recent data:

• Total YouTube Channels: Approximately 113.9 million.

• Active YouTube Channels: Around 38 million active channels (33.4%)​ (Wyzowl)​​ (DemandSage)​.

• Inactive YouTube Channels: Around 75.9 million inactive channels (66.6%)​ (Wyzowl)​​ (DemandSage)​.

X/Twitter Accounts

Based on general platform trends:

• Total X/Twitter Accounts: Approximately 330 million monthly active users.

• Active X/Twitter Accounts: Roughly 186 million daily active users, which can be considered active.

• Inactive X/Twitter Accounts: An estimated 144 million accounts are less frequently used or inactive.

Key Insights and Opportunities

1. Activity Rates Across Platforms:

   • Podcasts have lower active rates (e.g., Culture at 5.95%), suggesting significant potential for new content creators.

   • YouTube channels have a higher activity rate (33.4%), but still a majority are inactive, indicating room for new creators​ (Wyzowl)​​ (DemandSage)​.

   • X/Twitter shows a high level of daily activity, yet inactive accounts remain significant.

2. Growth Potential:

   • Podcasts: Categories like Culture and Comedy have vast numbers of inactive shows, presenting opportunities for new and active podcasts to attract audiences.

   • YouTube: Despite a large number of channels, only a small fraction achieve high engagement, offering new creators opportunities if they can break through the noise​ (Wyzowl)​​ (DemandSage)​.

   • X/Twitter: Active user base implies strong engagement potential, but new accounts need innovative content to stand out.

3. Comparative Opportunities:

   • Podcasts vs. YouTube: While both platforms have substantial inactive content, the relatively lower active percentage in podcasts highlights greater untapped potential for new entrants.

   • Podcasts vs. X/Twitter: The focused nature of podcast content and the niche engagement can offer more substantial opportunities for targeted content creators compared to the broad and rapid engagement on X/Twitter.

Conclusion

The analysis of active and inactive content across podcasts, YouTube, and X/Twitter reveals substantial opportunities for new creators, particularly in the podcasting space. The relatively lower percentage of active podcasts across categories indicates a ripe field for innovation and engagement, debunking the myth of an oversaturated market. By understanding the landscape of each platform, content creators and industry professionals can better strategize their efforts to capture and grow their audience effectively.

This comparative perspective underscores the potential within the podcast industry, suggesting that now is an opportune time for new shows to enter the market and engage listeners seeking fresh content.

For deeper insights on these podcasts categories, you can use Podchaser Pro to perform similar analyses. Perhaps you want to see what percentage of the active shows feature guests, which categories are most popular with females age 35-44, or which brands sponsor which shows by category.

All of these data and insights are available thru Podchaser Pro.

👋 See you soon!

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