Clammr, the social audio discovery platform that recently opened to public beta, released its 2015 Future of Podcasting report featuring results of its exclusive survey of podcasters. The report details how podcasters feel about the state of podcasting in each of eight major areas ranging from audio production to distribution to audience development. The study also identifies the approaches podcasters cite as being most effective for growing listenership.
Please see our guest column TechCrunch for some of our conclusions in the context of the overall podcasting and audio sectors http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/18/the-future-of-podcasting/.
2. • Social discovery platform for podcasts and other audio
available as iOS app and on web – users call us “Audio
Instagram” and “Audio Twitter”
• Continuous stream of personalized short audio clips (max 18
seconds) that can launch full-length audio or link out to external
sources
• Listeners and audio creators can create their own Clammrs and
simultaneously share them to Twitter/Facebook, SMS/email
them, or embed as widgets on other digital properties
• Podcasters using Clammr to extend their social reach
1
About Clammr
3. • Podcasting has an opportunity drive a broader trend toward on-demand
audio that will reshape the $65+B global audio market
• Innovators need to solve for two major challenges in order for
podcasting to cross into mass adoption:
• Podcasting needs to become more discoverable and social in order
to drive audience growth
• Podcasters must see a pathway to monetization
• Podcast solutions must account for a smartphone OS ecosystem that
features fragmented tools on Android and vertical integration of
playback experience on Apple
2
Research Conclusions
4. • Several indicators suggest podcasting is poised to cross into mass adoption: 32% increase in
the volume of Google searches for the term “podcast”; 37% increase in downloads; and a 38%
increase in the number of podcasts produced
• Cautionary indicators suggest underlying growth coming from existing listeners more than an
expansion of the user base: monthly user penetration stands at 17% and growth slowed down
from 25% in 2013-14 to 12% in 2014-15; awareness below 50% and grew by 2% in 2014-15
• Emerging shift to on-demand audio, putting large $65B global audio market up for grabs.
Underlying enablers of on-demand reaching ubiquity: smartphone penetration (55%); 4G
wireless data with 5+ Mbps speeds (98% availability); cars with infotainment systems (Toyota,
Ford, others shipping as standard equipment)
• Podcasters satisfied with tools covering the basic blocking and tackling of podcasting: sound
editing and processing (92% satisfied); hosting and distribution (82% satisfied); web presence
(69% satisfied); analytics and tracking to a lesser degree (56%)
• Significant podcaster concerns with: generating new listeners and app presence (76%
dissatisfied); monetization (73% dissatisfied); and social media presence (51% dissatisfied)
• Social media (81% of podcasters) and word of mouth (74% of podcasters) are the most
popular channels for audience growth
• Podcasts have become a mobile phenomenon (66% of listening), occurring largely on Apple
iOS (82% of mobile listening) with the native Apple Podcasts app (78% of iOS listening)
3
Research Highlights
5. Where Is Podcasting Headed?
1 Slower than the 148% growth in smartphone penetration during the same time period from 2010-2014
2 Growth from May 2014 to May 2015. This uptick started in May 2014 and preceded the October 2014 launch of Serial. While Serial
likely drove the bump from October-January 2014, it does not alone explain the rising interest in podcasts
Source: Google Trends (reflects relative search volume); Clammr Social Audio Discovery
4
Google U.S. Search Interest in Podcasts, 2005-15
50% decline from
January 2006 peak 34% increase to May
2010-20141
Rapid
one-year
growth
in 2005
32% rapid
one-year
growth2
?
6. The Positive Case for Podcasting:
Crossing the Chasm to Mass Adoption?
Note: Number of Podcasts and Number of Downloads reflect 2013-14 growth on Libsyn hosting platform (most recent
available data). Podcast Searches 2014-15 growth
Source: Libsyn; Google; Clammr | Social Audio Discovery
5
38% podcast shows produced
37% podcast plays
32% Google searches for podcasts
(relative volume)
7. The Cautious Case Against Podcasting:
Hyped-Up Niche That’s Jumping the Shark?
Note: Listener growth rate reflects drop from 25% 2013-14 growth to 13% 2014-15 growth. Podcast awareness reflects 2014-15
growth.
Source: Edison Research; Clammr | Social Audio Discovery
6
53% slowdown in monthly
listener growth
2% growth in podcast awareness
8. 1 Broadcast includes AM/FM Radio (52%), Sirius XM (8%), and TV music channels (5%). Owned includes CDs and downloaded
digital audio files. On-demand includes Internet radio/music (12%), podcasts (2%), and other (<2%)
2 Includes ~$45B radio (~75% advertising) and ~$20B recorded media
Source: Edison Research; PWC; Clammr | Social Audio Discovery
7
65
20
15
Broadcast
Owned
On-demand
Share of Time by Audio Source, 2014 (Percent)1
On-Demand Emerging in Audio
9. Source: Statista; Novarum; Clammr | Social Audio Discovery
8
55% of U.S.
population
has
smartphone
98% LTE
network
availability
with 4G
speeds of 5+
Mbps
Infotainment
systems
standard on
Ford, Toyota,
and other
makes
Technology Enablers for On-Demand Audio Reaching
Ubiquity
10. Two Challenges Podcasters Face:
Audience Growth and Monetization
1 Question: “We would like to understand your current level of satisfaction with several elements of creating a podcast.
Please rate each on a scale of 1-6.” n=59
2 Combines responses to individual questions about audience growth and app presence
Source: Clammr | Social Audio Discovery
9
-76
-73
-66
-56
-51
56
69
83
92Podcast creation tools
Hosting and distribution
Web presence
Analytics and tracking
Social media presence
Audience growth
App presence
Revenue generation
Podcaster Satisfaction with Elements of Podcast Creation (Percent)1
Audience growth & apps2
Audience
growth
requires that
podcasts
become more
discoverable
and more
social
11. 10
Drivers of Podcast Listener Growth (Percent)1
3
3
5
5
8
12
25
27
75
81
Misc
Podcast players
Email
Events
Guests
Paid advertising
Search results
Other podcasts
Word of mouth
Social media
1 Question: “What drives new listeners to your podcast? Check any items below that are responsible for more than 10% of
new listeners” n=59
Source: Clammr | Social Audio Discovery
Podcasters Rely on Social Channels for Growth –
Despite their Overall Dissatisfaction
12. 11
Podcasts Have Become a Mobile Phenomenon
How Users Listen to Podcasts (Percent)
1 Based on sample of RawVoice clients covering March 2014 – March 2015. Draws on global listenership of RawVoice clients
who are predominantly English-speaking – approximately 80% of listenership is US-based
Source: RawVoice; Clammr | Social Audio Discovery
34
66
Desktop / Laptop
Mobile / Tablet
13. 12
Android Punches Below Its Weight in Podcasting
53
16
41
82
6 2
Smartphone Market Share Podcast Listening
Other
Smartphone Platform Share of Users and Podcast Listening (Percent)1
Fragmentation and
lack of backend tools
(e.g., podcast
directory) limits
podcasting growth on
Android
1 Installed base of US smartphone subscribers covering three-month period to January 2015
2 Based on sample of RawVoice clients covering March 2014 – March 2015. Draws on global listenership of RawVoice clients who
are predominantly English-speaking – approximately 80% of listenership is US-based
Source: RawVoice; Comscore; Clammr | Social Audio Discovery
14. 13
Apple’s Native Podcasts App Unifies Experience –
May Inhibit Solutions Focusing on Playback Experience
How Users Listen to Podcasts on iOS (Percent)1
1 Based on sample of RawVoice clients covering March 2014 – March 2015. Draws on global listenership of RawVoice clients
who are predominantly English-speaking – approximately 80% of listenership is US-based
Source: RawVoice; Clammr | Social Audio Discovery
78
22
Other
Apple Podcasts App
App Store pushes users
to native Podcasts app
15. More About Clammr:
How Podcasters Use Clammr to Extend Social Reach
• Turn highlights of shows into social media content that gets
distributed simultaneously to existing social outlets
• Enable show fans to share their favorite moments and generate
additional social reach
• Provide media outlets (e.g., blogs, fan sites) with additional
format that they can use (embeddable widgets), which links
back to show
14
Contact
Parviz Parvizi | parviz@clammr.com | +1 617 595 8116
17. Podcast Awareness and Penetration
16
% of Population Aware
of Podcasts
% of Population
Listening to at Least One
Podcast
% of Population
Listening to a Podcast
in Past Month
2006 22 11
2007 37 13
2008 37 18 9
2009 43 22 11
2010 45 23 12
2011 45 25 12
2012 46 29 14
2013 46 27 12
2014 48 30 15
2015 49 33 17
1 US population 12 or older
Source: Edison Research; Pew
18. Podcast Episodes and Downloads
17
Podcasts hosted on
Libsyn (thousands)
Podcast download
requests on Libsyn
(billions)
2012 12 1.6
2013 16 1.9
2014 22 2.6
1 US population 12 or older
Source: Edison Research; Pew
19. 18
Over 60% of Podcast Listening Across All Platforms
Occurs on Apple-Owned Applications
How Users Listen to Podcasts Across Desktop and Mobile1
1 Based on sample of RawVoice clients covering March 2014 – March 2015. Draws on global listenership of RawVoice clients
who are predominantly English-speaking – approximately 80% of listenership is US-based
Source: RawVoice; Clammr | Social Audio Discovery
43
18
23
15
Other
Mobile
Apple Podcasts
App
Apple iTunes
Other
Desktop
Apple-owned
application
20. 19
Podcasters Are Optimistic About the Future
3
39
58
Modest Growth
(less than 10%)Significant
Growth
(more than 10%)
Flat
Podcaster Expectations About Audience Growth (Percent)1
1 Question: “What do you expect will happen with your podcast's audience over the next 12 months?” n=59
Source: Clammr | Social Audio Discovery