Since Spotify launched its own podcasting platform, it has surpassed Apple’s podcasting in some countries. Now, according to an analysis by eMarketer, Spotify is about to surpass Apple Podcasts in the number of global users.
As early as 2019, another study showed that Spotify had more podcast listeners in South America and Europe than Apple. Over time, the number of people worldwide using the Spotify podcasting platform has increased significantly.
The latest analysis data of eMarketer shows that Spotify is expected to reach 28.2 million users by the end of 2021. In contrast, Apple Podcasts should have 28 million users at the end of this year. Although this is only a small gap, it is still enough to make Spotify ranked first.
Spotify is still expanding its podcast listening business in the United States, while Apple’s podcast business has basically stagnated. In fact, by the end of this year, Spotify will surpass Apple in this respect. The Swedish streaming media company will have 28.2 million podcast listeners every month, surpassing Apple’s 28 million, and this small lead will expand in the next few years.
Research also shows that about 40% of US Internet users listen to podcasts at least once a month, and this number is expected to grow to 45% by 2024. In addition to Apple and Spotify, YouTube and Google are also becoming popular platforms for American podcast listeners.
As the podcast market grows, technology companies have invested more in their podcast platforms, including not only new features but also exclusive shows. Earlier this year, Apple launched the Apple Podcast subscription service, allowing podcast creators to provide exclusive content through paid subscriptions.
