Understanding podcast users: Consumption motives and behaviors

TLDR

Podcast consumption, especially on today’s complex media platforms, is multidimensional and should be measured from multiple aspects and examined in various settings. The study aimed to comprehensively examine podcast users in the United States from the perspectives of motivation and usage. This was achieved via a large-scale national survey. The study found that entertainment, information, and audio platform superiority are the primary motivators for podcast consumption, that these motives influence listening settings, depth, routine, and use of competing audio media, and that podcasting is a distinct medium with unique characteristics rather than a mobile extension of existing audio platforms.

Abstract

Through a large-scale national survey, this study provided the first comprehensive examination of podcast users in the United States from the perspectives of motivation and usage. It deepened our understanding of this new on-demand audio platform in the context of consumption drivers, behaviors, and competing media options. The results showed that entertainment, information, and audio platform superiority were the most important motivators for podcast consumption. In addition, motives were found to affect listening behaviors, including listening settings, width, depth, and routine of listening, and usage of competing audio media, such as regular radio, online radio, and streaming music. The findings revealed that podcasting is a distinct medium with unique characteristics rather than a mobile, on-demand extension of existing audio platforms like radio. Podcast consumption, especially on today’s complex media platforms, is multidimensional and should be measured from multiple aspects and examined in various settings.