Majority of Brits Listened to a Podcast Last Month; Medium Poised for More Growth
Edison Research’s The UK Podcast Consumer 2025 released today, reveals the massive reach of podcasts in the UK and the indicators that podcast listening has room to grow.
Majority of Brits consumed a podcast in the last month: 71% of those in the UK ages 16+ have ever consumed a podcast, 51% have consumed a podcast in the last month, and 33% have consumed a podcast in the last week
UK Podcast listening is poised for growth: Adoption of smart TVs in homes for podcast consumption, more accessibility and variety of podcast on digital services, and increase in infotainment systems in cars all allow room for growth in the medium
- The number of UK weekly podcast consumers ages 15+ who listen most often on a smart TV has doubled since 2023: 4% listened most often on a smart TV as of Q1 2023 compared to 8% who listened most often on a smart TV as of Q1 2025
- 33% of UK weekly podcast listeners ages 15+ use Spotify most often to listen to podcasts; 20% use YouTube, 15% use BBC Sounds and 13% use Apple Podcasts
- 38% of those in the UK ages 18+ who have driven or ridden in a car in the last month have either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in their primary vehicle
Edison Research Senior Director of Research Gabriel Soto presented findings from the study, which combines research from Edison’s The Infinite Dial® UK, Edison Podcast Metrics™, and other original custom research.
“This year’s UK Podcast Consumer Report shows not only mainstream adoption, but also how podcasts are reaching valuable and diverse audiences,” said Soto. “For advertisers, this is a pivotal moment. We at Edison are bullish on podcasting because the data shows further adoption potential, robust ad ROI and tools already in place to help brands confidently invest in podcasts as a core part of their media strategy.”
Podcasts have broad generational appeal: 61% of those in the UK ages 16-24 are monthly podcast consumers, 56% of ages 35-54 are monthly podcast consumers, and 38% of ages 55+ are monthly podcast consumers
Podcast advertising delivers a robust ROI: 83% of weekly podcast consumers ages 15+ in the UK agree that hearing ads is a fair price to pay for free content
The Top UK-based Podcasts reach U.S. listeners: The Top 10 UK-based podcasts (podcasts hosted by someone from the UK or produced by a UK organization) reach a cumulative 2.3 million weekly podcast listeners in the U.S. each week
Other findings include:
- 59% of UK weekly podcast consumers ages 15+ listen to podcasts most often at home
- 66% of UK weekly podcast consumers ages 15+ listen to podcasts most often on a smartphone
About the study The UK Podcast Consumer 2025 from Edison Research draws upon the following datasets: Edison Podcast Metrics™ UK, Edison Podcast Metrics™ US, The Infinite Dial® UK with sponsors AdsWizz and SiriusXM Media, and The Fandom Phenomenon with sponsor Wondery.
About Edison Research
Edison Research conducts survey research and provides strategic information to a broad array of clients worldwide, having conducted research in 75 countries. Edison Research’s The Infinite Dial® series has been the survey of record for digital audio, social media, podcasting, smart speakers, and other media-related technologies since 1998. The company’s Share of Ear® survey is the only single-source measure of all audio in the U.S. Edison Research is the leading podcast research company in the world, producing the only survey-based data on podcast listening in the U.S, Edison Podcast Metrics, and has conducted research for many companies in the space. Since 2004, Edison Research has been the sole provider of election data, race projections and analysis to the National Election Pool (ABC News, CBS News, CNN, NBC News).
This is a press release which we link to from Podnews, our daily newsletter about podcasting and on-demand. We may make small edits for editorial reasons.