True crime and athletic podcasts became popular somewhat recently, but the extent is much higher than we think. Whether it’s driving, making a craft, cooking, or sitting by the pool, everyone is listening to their favorite podcast.
Rise of podcasts
While people have been experimenting with entertainment mediums for a long time, the beginning of podcasting was in 2003 when Dave Winer developed a way for a New York Times reporter Christopher Lydon to offer audio content for his blogs.
By the end of 2004, the first podcasting platform Libsyn was born. Quickly after in 2005, Steve Jobs incorporated podcasting into iTunes for Apple products and the idea exploded.
Who is listening to podcasts?
In short, everyone. There are over 584.1 million podcast listeners woldwide and 55% of the US population listens to a podcast at least once a month. 61.6% of these listeners are Millenials and Gen Z.
Podcasts have become so popular that the listening of them has started to be considered its own fandom.
Interestingly, about a third of US adults who listen to podcasts are listening to true crime. Research has shown that listeners with less formal education listen to shows about true crime, specifically women. These podcasts are often about unsolved murders, scandals and other criminal events.
Sports fans have also heavily tapped into the podcast game. 64% of sport enthusiasts frequently or occasionally listen to sports content via audio, which includes radio and podcasting.
Fans have always been able to watch their games on the TV or listen on the radio. Getting feedback on teams from professionals and the athletes themselves is something newer.
When and why are we listening to podcasts?
Television and music have always been medias, both good for background noise and invested entertainment. Why the need for podcasts?
Podcasts are more convenient than some people realize. It is easy to put in the audio while you are on break or on the bus, unlike broadcasts which you have to watch in order to get the full experience. The lack of visuals also allows individuals to complete other tasks while they enjoy listneing to others talk. This has been a major benefit in the growth of this entertainment.
“They’ve been tuning into podcasts similarly to how one would tune into a late-night talk show,” Kurt Wilms, the senior director of product management at YouTube, wrote in a blog.
“…podcasts are not only a great source of entertainment and information, but also podcasts provide listeners with a sense of connection that stands out as unique in the media and entertainment landscape,” said Nicole Blake, the chief brand officer of Wondery, a podcast studio. “Podcast fans are invested in the hosts, the stories, and the fan communities, which provides an excellent opportunity to extend the IP into areas such as Consumer Products and IRL experiences, and for marketers to authentically reach key audiences.”
With linear late-night TV shows on the decline, the rise for the audio version has grown exponentially. Less and less people are watching TV regularly, leaving room for another source of entertainment they do not have to stay up to watch.
The rise of social media, specifically TikTok, has exposed younger audiences to the media more and more, resulting in their intrigue and then following. They may get a small clip on their page, become intrigued, and then seek out the rest of the story.
Where did music and TV go?
Music and TV are still incredibly popular, but podcasts have somehow taken many of their regular fans.
Podcasts have not replaced TV and music, but people only have so much time in thier day to listen or watch something. With the recent rise, other mediums are being forced to share for playing time, causing the views and streams to decrease.
The overlap between avid TV watchers and podcast listeners is very high, due largely to the fact that there are plenty of podcasts about favorite TV shows.
“Office Ladies” starring Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey is about “The Office,” a TV show they were on together. With a cult classic like “The Office,” the companion podcast earns over 500,000 monthly listeners and is ranked number four for best comedy podacst in the United States, Canada and India.
“The Mess Around” starring Hannah Simone and Lamorne Morris is the companion of “New Girl.” While the podcast is yet to share their listeners, it has been popular in iHeartPodcasts.
Both of these podcasts discuss the background and the making of two well-loved television series. Fans of these shows love the podcasts and enjoy hearing how their favorite shows were created. Due to the popularity of this type of podacst, these are just two examples of many like it.
Best places to listen to podcasts
While many people immediately think of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, YouTube has become the leading destination for podcast consumers in previous years. The company said viewers watched over 400 million hours per month in 2024.
As of October 2024, Spotify had a 17% share of weekly podcast consumers. Apple Podcasts had even less at 11%.
In addition to the big three, some others prefer Pandora, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM and Stitcher.
Best recent podcasts
As popular as true crime is, podcasts about entertainment, pop culture and the arts are beating it statistically with almost half of the total podcast streams.
Spotify released a list of their favorite podcasts of 2025 so far.
“Good Hang with Amy Poehler” is at the top of this list. This podcast stars Amy Poehler as she hosts celebrities and other fun guests. In it, they discuss their careers and fun life stories. Noteable guests include Andy Samberg, Dakota Johnson and Seth Meyers.
The second podacast is completely different. “Sea of Lies” is a story about a con man who could not stop lying. The story includes murder, stolen identities and fine art.
Another completely different style of podcast is “IMO with Michele Obama and Craig Robinson.” In this podcast, Michele Obama and co-star and brother Craig Robinson bring guests onto the show and discuss their personal dilemmas. They attempt to tackle issues with practical advice and relevance to the listeners.
These top three podcasts from Spotify highlight the diversity of podcasting. With an unlimited amount of intellectual property to tap into, the industry has so much more to work with.
Fans are eating up the amount of hours they can listen to the making of their favorite TV show or listen to a great story they would otherwise prefer not to physically read on the subway. With the great work of the industry and growing numbers, podcasting has the capability become the next big thing.
