Germany: young female listeners are shaping the podcast market!

Originally dominated by men, the podcast market in German-speaking countries is currently undergoing a significant change: in 2025, it will be primarily female listeners under 30 who will shape the market - in terms of reach, usage and interest in topics. This is shown in the new “Podcast 2025 Report” by Seven.One Audio, the leading podcast marketer in Germany. The genres “Comedy”, “True Crime” and “Society & Culture” are particularly popular among them - a trend that is also reflected in the overall listenership. However, the influence of female listeners is not only evident in the young target group: across all age groups, their share of total usage time is now over 50%.

At the same time, the podcast market continues to grow steadily: reach is increasing among younger listeners in particular, while usage duration and frequency are increasing in all target groups. The market is also booming on the supply side: almost 13,000 new podcasts were published in 2024 - primarily on social and cultural topics such as “G Spot” with Stefanie Giesinger, “Judging Amanda Knox” with Alexandra Berlin and Khesrau Behroz or “Justitias Wille - Leben in der Waagschale” with the “Mordlust” hosts Paulina Krasa and Laura Wohlers. In addition, podcasts continue to appeal to a particularly young, educated and high-income audience and accompany them in their everyday lives - as a true multitasking medium, they are still preferably consumed at home while doing housework or on the go in the car and on foot.

Alexander Krawczyk, Senior Vice President of Seven.One Audio: “The current data clearly shows that podcasts today are primarily young and female - and more relevant than ever! Anyone who recognizes this can reach an engaged, opinionated target group in the middle of their everyday lives. Podcasts are no longer a niche medium, but a vibrant growth area and a must for any modern marketing strategy. And one thing is already certain: the trend of young women increasingly shaping podcast consumption and thus significantly shaping the content of tomorrow will continue in 2025.”

The most important findings from the “Podcast 2025 Report” in detail:

• The boom continues - young target groups in particular regularly listen to podcasts! The podcast market is growing and reaching more and more listeners. 63% of 18 to 49-year-olds now listen to podcasts regularly - among 18 to 29-year- Seite 1 von 32. 3. 4. 5. olds, the figure is as high as 73%. By comparison: in 2023, the figures were still significantly lower, at 32% (18-49 year-olds) and 43% (18-29 year-olds). Podcasts have thus firmly established themselves as a mainstream medium - especially among the younger generation. (ViewTime Report 2025)

• Podcasts are being used even more frequently and for longer! Both the daily and weekly listening frequency in the overall target group has increased again compared to the previous year. The increase in daily listening time is also particularly noteworthy: from 2023 to 2024, it rose from 7 to 9 minutes on average - an increase of 28.5%. In comparison: in 2019, daily listening time was just 3 minutes. This means that listening time has almost tripled in five years. Podcasts are also the only medium to record a continuous increase in usage time. Social media, on the other hand, is showing signs of saturation. (ViewTime Report 2025)

• In 2025 podcasts overtake radio among young listeners for the first time! For the first time, more 18- to 29-year-olds listen to podcasts than radio. While podcasts already achieved a strong reach of almost 70% in this target group in 2024, they will continue to grow in 2025 and now reach 73%. In contrast, radio is losing ground significantly - after over 75% in the previous year, its reach is now only 70%. This means that podcasts are becoming the preferred audio format of the younger generation. (ViewTime Report 2025)

• Podcasts deliver strong incremental reach! Podcasts tap into target groups that TV and social media often fail to reach: 45% of 18 to 29-year-olds who are not reached via social media can be specifically addressed via podcasts. For TV, the figure is as high as 49 percent. Conclusion: If you want to reach young target groups comprehensively, you can no longer ignore podcasts. (ViewTime Report 2025)

• Podcasts are a particularly acceptable advertising environment for high- income listeners! 82% of overall respondents accept commercials in podcasts as long as the content is free. Among listeners with a net household income of over EUR 4,000, approval rises to 86%. Thematically appropriate advertising is also highly accepted: 71% of the overall group are in favor of it, compared to 79% of listeners with a higher income. Even advertising at the beginning of an episode is “not annoying” for 86% of high-income listeners. (b4p trends 2024)

Focus on “female reach”: young women are conquering podcasts

• Podcasts today are above all young and female! What used to be considered a male-dominated medium is now increasingly being shaped by young women: 81% of 18 to 29-year-olds regularly listen to podcasts - compared to just 37% in 2019. By comparison, 68% of young men regularly listen to podcasts in 2025. The overall picture also clearly shows the change: women now account for over 50 percent of total podcast usage time. (ViewTime Report 2025)

• Giggling, scary, healthy - women have clear priorities when listening to podcasts! Comedy tops the popularity rankings among female listeners, closely followed by true crime, society & culture and health & fitness. (AGMA) Seite 2 von 33. Podcasts are the channel with the highest advertising recall among women! Over 85% of women who have heard or seen advertising remember podcast advertising - more than TikTok or YouTube. They also rate the authenticity of podcast advertising on average 8 percent higher than with social media, which is mainly due to the close, trusting relationship with the hosts. (Sounds Profitable 2025)

The “Podcast 2025 Report” by Seven.One Audio offers further insights and illustrative graphics on podcast usage behavior, listenership, ongoing market growth and exciting marketing aspects - such as the growing importance of podcast hosts as “people of trust”.

Podnews subscribers can download this report in English here.