New forecasts suggest that Spotify will become the world’s dominant podcasting platform before the end of the year, suggesting that Apple Podcasts needs to work hard to catch up.
In the past couple of years, the European music streaming platform has invested heavily in new and exclusive content as it expands its podcasting, with hard-hitters like Joe Rogan jumping to the platform in exchange for a generous fee and the promise of more listeners.
Now, according to eMarketer, Spotify will overtake Apple and become the world’s most successful podcasting platform before the end of 2021, reaching 28.2 million people, compared with Apple’s 28 million listeners. The forecast suggests Spotify has seen significant growth over the past year, eating into Apple’s previously market-leading platform.
Speaking of the change, an analyst said: “By putting podcasts and music in one place, Spotify quickly became the convenient one-stop-shop for everything digital audio.
“Apple was the de facto destination for podcasts for a long time, but in recent years, it has not kept up with Spotify’s pace of investment and innovation in podcast content and technology. Spotify’s investments have empowered podcast creators and advertisers through its proprietary hosting, creation, and monetization tools.”
The news comes at the same time as Apple plans to invest more into its podcasting efforts, with a reported plan to launch an Apple Podcasts+ subscription service to boot. Apple recently expanded its Apple TV+ titles into podcasts, with shows like For All Mankind receiving their own spin-off podcast. More of these are expected for other Apple shows.
Do you think it’s right that Spotify comes out on top? Should Apple do more for podcasts? Let us know and check back soon for more news and rumors on podcasts, right here.