Podcast listeners clocking up almost two weeks per year listening to podcasts

Pure Telecom, Ireland’s high-speed broadband and telecoms provider, has announced the results of its annual Connected Lives survey, which has found that podcast-listeners in Ireland – comprising 72% of the population – are spending 12 days per year listening to podcasts. The research, released on the 10th annual International Podcast Day, found that the average listener clocks up 48 minutes of listening time per day.

The nationally representative survey of 1,006 adults in Ireland was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Pure Telecom. The research explored the increasingly popular audio medium which has become a multi-billion-dollar industry in recent years. Despite this, the survey found that 10% of the population have never tuned into a podcast before.

The average pod listener tunes in to four podcast series regularly, with the top genres revealed as comedy and entertainment (46%), true crime (35%), and self-help and wellbeing (33%). The genre with the largest discrepancy in popularity by gender is sport – it is the most popular topic amongst men (46%), but just 9% of women said they tune into sports podcasts regularly. Meanwhile, news & current affairs is the most popular category for those aged 55 and above (44%), but just 15% of 18-to-24-year-olds said they listen to shows in this category. Overall, 39% of adults believe that listening to podcasts makes them better informed.

The survey also found that podcast-listeners will find any opportunity to listen to their favourite shows. The most popular time to have a listen is when out for a walk (42%), followed by doing household chores such as cleaning and washing up (39%), and in bed (37%). A bold 3% of podcast enthusiasts admitted to listening to podcasts during work-related video calls.

While people in Ireland are known for their gift of the gab, just 15% of those surveyed felt they themselves would be good at podcasting. This rises to 22% for adults aged 24 and under. Some have given it a go either as a host or guest, while more than one in eight (13%) of us personally know someone who hosts or co-hosts their own podcast. This rises to nearly one in five (19%) for those aged 24 and under.

Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom, said: “Storytelling is deeply rooted in Irish culture, so it is no surprise that people in Ireland have embraced podcasts – so much so that the majority of us are now incorporating them into our everyday routines. The medium’s continued rise in popularity sometimes makes it feel like everyone is having a go at podcasting. While that may be an exaggeration, our research found that it’s certainly not difficult to find someone who is hosting or co-hosting one!

“With millions of podcasts to choose from – and millions of us listening to them – at Pure Telecom, we are giving listeners the ability to tune in to the subjects that they want to know more about. From celebrity gossip and historical documentaries, to analysis of last night’s game and anything else you can think of, we provide the best value broadband that connects people in Ireland to what they want, when they want it.”

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