Although podcasts aren’t exactly new, the form of entertainment seems to be growing significantly over the last few months. This has been attributed to two reasons: 1) the fact that Apple’s Podcasts app is now built in to iOS 8, and 2) the success of the podcast, “Serial.” According to new data from Edison Research, podcast consumption in the US grew 18% between the spring and fall of 2014.
The trend started with the launch of iOS 8 last September. At this point, iPhone users found Apple’s official Podcasts app automatically included and unable to be removed from the device. This coupled with the buzz that surrounded “Serial,” is what the folks over at AdAge attribute to pushing podcasts to the mainstream. For those of you who haven’t come across Serial, it is a spinoff of the hit public radio show “This American Life.”
Serial took the podcast world by storm with its unique structure of investigating a real-life murder case. The episodic nature of the podcast ended up stretching the series to over 12 episodes and proved to be a huge hit, leading to more than 68 million downloads. Furthermore, it was recognized by Apple in its Best of 2014 iTunes awards as the “Best New Podcast” of last year.
The Cupertino California company had pushed to help popularize podcasts a decade ago when support for the medium was included in iTunes 4.9.The name podcast itself is also a reference to Apple’s iconic iPod media player despite the fact that the Internet radio programs can be played across a variety of devices. Listeners are given the ability to download individual episodes or subscribe to a series, having new episodes automatically delivered through “podcatchers” such as Apple’s Podcasts app for iOS.
Are you surprised to hear about the news? Have you been listening to podcasts more as a result of iOS 8 or Serial? Share your thoughts and comments below!
Source: AdAge, Edison Research via AppleInsider
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