Slow growth, according to the study... but something jumped out at me as I read an article detailing the report from the radio industry publication Radio Ink. Note that the report only looked at audio podcasting, totally ignoring the huge growth in video podcasting. Now, it's kind of an apples and oranges thing because the radio industry is far more concerned about audio podcasts, but I think it shows that the Edison Study's numbers are fairly incomplete since it leaves out the entire video platform. Would inclusion of those numbers make a difference? Perhaps, perhaps not... but let's make sure we don't latch onto numbers that provide an incomplete picture of the growth of the overall podcast industry.
While awareness of podcasting is up significantly, usage of audio podcasting is only up slightly. Awareness of podcasting has jumped from 22 percent in 2006 to 37 percent in 2007. In that time, those having ever listened to an audio podcast have risen from 11 percent to 13 percent.
Oh, and just in case you don't think the radio industry is getting a bit defensive... this from Bill Rose, senior vice president of marketing at Arbitron (the co-sponsor of the study):
[T]he widely held perception that people who use new digital platforms listen less to over-the-air radio is false. In fact, users of digital radio platforms spend just as much time listening to over-the-air radio as the average consumer.
Translation... this podcasting thing is SO in radio's rearview mirror. Yeah... but it's gaining, sir.
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