Apple Podcasts, once the dominant platform for podcast listening, is experiencing a significant decline in popularity as competitors like YouTube and Spotify gain ground, according to a recent study by Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights.
“Podcast” is a portmanteau of “iPod” and “broadcast,” indicating the format’s indebtedness to Apple. However, the study reveals that the podcast landscape has changed dramatically since the company first popularized the medium in 2005 with the release of iTunes 4.9. YouTube is now the most popular platform for podcast consumption in the United States, with 31% of respondents reporting it as their primary choice. Spotify follows at 21%, while Apple Podcasts has dropped to third place with only 12% of the market share.
This is in stark contrast to Apple’s position just a few years ago. In July 2019, 29% of weekly podcast listeners primarily used Apple Podcasts. Several factors appear to be contributing to Apple Podcasts’ waning popularity. Apple Podcasts didn’t generate direct revenue for the company until recently, when in 2021 it introduced podcast subscriptions, of which Apple takes a cut.
Additionally, Apple Podcasts was historically not available on Android or Windows devices, limiting its reach, although the launch earlier this week of an Apple Podcasts web app may go some way to mitigate this issue.
The rising popularity of video podcasts has also given platforms like YouTube a significant advantage, while Apple Podcasts has shown no willingness to push video at all. Indeed, it’s unclear whether the company is working on any major updates or features to compete more effectively with the more visual take on the medium offered by YouTube and Spotify.
Despite the decline, Apple Podcasts still has the advantage of coming pre-installed on all Apple devices, giving it a large potential user base. However, Apple may need to rethink its strategy by emphasizing video podcast content, adding more monetization options for podcasters, and attracting new and younger listeners to the platform.
In iOS 18, Apple’s Podcasts app now shows chapter segments of a podcast when you scrub through a currently playing episode, making it easier to browse through the audio content, but there are no major new podcast features in the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system.
