A look at Apple Podcasts' fading dominance, as an April 2024 study of 603 podcast consumers found 31% use YouTube, 21% use Spotify, and 12% use Apple's app
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg :
Context & Ripple Effects
The April consumer study places Apple’s podcast app behind YouTube and Spotify in reported use, extending a competitive shift that had been building since Spotify’s earlier push into podcast advertising and video. Apple had also reported strong subscription growth in 2022, making the newer usage gap notable rather than a simple absence of investment.
The pattern is reinforced by a later listener survey in which YouTube led as the most-used podcast service, ahead of both Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Apple’s 2023 automatic-download change had already reduced reported downloads for some major shows, complicating how publishers assess its platform’s audience.
First-order effects
- The study gives podcast publishers and advertisers a clearer reason to prioritize distribution and audience development on YouTube and Spotify alongside Apple Podcasts.
- Apple Podcasts faces weaker evidence of consumer preference in this sample, while YouTube and Spotify gain leverage in creator and commercial-platform conversations.
Second-order effects
- Publishers may put more emphasis on video-capable production and platform-specific packaging as YouTube becomes a leading podcast destination, reinforcing Spotify’s earlier video and advertising strategy.
- Audience measurement becomes more consequential: changes in Apple’s download behavior and differing platform usage measures can make downloads a less comparable proxy for listener reach.
Third-order effects
- If listener habits continue to consolidate around multipurpose audio-video platforms, podcasting could shift from a distribution model centered on dedicated apps toward competition for creators, ad inventory, and viewing as well as listening.
- The sector may increasingly require cross-platform measurement standards, since platform-reported downloads and consumer-reported primary use capture different parts of podcast consumption.
The trend: Podcast distribution is moving from Apple’s dedicated-app era toward a multi-platform market led by services that combine discovery, advertising, and video.