Julia Stoll
Research expert covering TV and video media
Podcasts in the UK - statistics & facts
Podcast listenership in the United Kingdom (UK) has been increasing year on year, reaching an estimated 15.5 million listeners in 2025. This popularity of podcasts is mirrored in the results from a survey from 2024, in which 83 percent of respondents highlighted the convenience of podcasts, while a similar share appreciated the variety available. These numbers show the increased interest people have in the medium. With the UK reaching podcast consumption levels similar to other big markets such as the United States, podcast publishers have become more important as they benefit from a growing number of streams and downloads. As of June 2024, the leading podcast publishers worldwide were iHeartRadio, Acast, as well as Libsyn.
In many ways, the podcast industry in United Kingdom developed in a similar way to the industry globally, may it be in terms of the increased popularity or consumer habits and preferences. With the popularity of podcasts expected to grow even further, the format also presents promising potential for advertisers in the future
Audience engagement
What do listeners look for when it comes to choosing a show? According to a survey from 2024, entertainment, news and current affairs, and comedy are among the favorite genres listened to on a weekly basis in the United Kingdom. The same survey showed that both entertainment and comedy were also among the most popular genres across nearly all generations, as well as for both male and female podcast listeners. When it came to keeping listeners tuned in, time and interest seem to play a big role. Nearly 30 percent said they stopped listening to podcasts because they either did other activities more often or lost interest in the content of podcasts. However, the time spent while listening to podcasts is also insightful, as podcasts are often a companion for other activities done at the same time. While roughly 43 percent of podcast consumers listened to them while relaxing at home, podcasts are also popular during housework or commuting.Spotify and podcast advertising
Spotify is by far the top platform used to consume music and among the most popular choices for podcast consumption. In a bid to increase its foothold in the podcasting arena and to compete with rival YouTube, Spotify has started to produce more and more exclusive podcasts and has expanded into the video podcast business. With podcasts having an increasingly large audience and a variety of topics covered, advertisers are starting to consider the medium an attractive platform. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the ad spending per internet user is projected to amount to 5.51 GBP in 2027. Notably, the average ad spending per internet user (ARPU) of the digital audio advertising segment within podcasts increased consistently over the past years. In 2024 alone, podcast advertising revenues in the UK rose to nearly 68 million U.S. dollars.In many ways, the podcast industry in United Kingdom developed in a similar way to the industry globally, may it be in terms of the increased popularity or consumer habits and preferences. With the popularity of podcasts expected to grow even further, the format also presents promising potential for advertisers in the future
