Podcasts hit a mainstream milestone in Australia; listening still preferred over watching

Half of all Australians aged 15 and over (10.3 million people) are now regular monthly podcast consumers, according to PodPoll 26, Australia’s most comprehensive annual survey into podcast consumption habits, released by podcast production house Deadset Studios and market research firm Insightfully.

This figure continues a run of consistent growth; from 39% in 2024, to 47% in 2025, and now 50%. Podcasts are also the fastest-growing audio category tracked in the survey.

“This growth in podcast consumption isn’t evenly spread. It’s being driven disproportionately by Millennials with 71% of them regular consumers of podcasts and by men aged 35–54, whose listenership jumped from 59% to 71% in a single year. For anyone planning campaigns or considering a podcast, that’s a signal to look beyond the usual ‘young listener’ narrative when thinking about who’s actually driving this uptick,” says Kellie Riordan, director of Deadset Studios.

“We’re no longer talking about an emerging medium. Half the country is consuming podcasts at least monthly. And critically for advertisers and brands, this audience doesn’t just passively consume the content, they act on what they hear. PodPoll 26 found that after listening, many consumers go on to search for a topic, buy a product, or take action for a cause,” added Leanne White, Managing Director at Insightfully.

The survey also found:

• Among regular consumers, YouTube’s share of podcast consumption has grown from 44% to 55% in a year, while one in ten podcast consumers now say they watch podcasts rather than listen
• Despite the rise of video however, 60% of regular consumers still say they prefer to listen to podcasts than watch them
• The majority of listeners say they seek out podcasts specifically because they don’t require a screen
• Podcast listeners are highly action-oriented: 45% have searched online after hearing something on a podcast, and 19% have purchased a product as a result
• Crime, news and current affairs, and comedy remain the nation’s most-consumed genres, but government and politics is now growing faster than any of them
• Podcasts are the most trusted media channel among podcast consumers, with 71% saying they trust the medium ahead of social media (34%) radio (62%), television (57%) and YouTube (56%).

“What’s striking this year is the extent to which trust has become podcasting’s defining advantage,” says Leanne White. “In a media environment where audiences are increasingly sceptical of what they consume online, podcasts are cutting through because audiences feel like they know and trust the voice in their ears and have that parasocial relationship with hosts.”

PodPoll 26 also found screen-free consumption is a genuine motivator: 70% of listeners say they actively seek podcasts out because they don’t require a screen. “That’s a useful counter to the assumption that younger audiences are purely video-led. For brands and producers, it’s a reminder that a strong audio-only product still reaches a large, loyal, screen-fatigued audience, and that investing solely in video risks missing them entirely,” says Kellie Riordan.