The ‘podcast’ medium has seen a huge rise in popularity over the past year. Today, 39% of Belgians listen to podcasts, a 10% growth compared to 2022. This is according to ‘The Power of Podcast 2023’, the second edition of the national podcast survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Trustmedia.
The biggest increase is seen among listeners between 25 and 45 years old. About half of Belgians under the age of 45 listen to podcasts. The study shows that adoption of the medium is on the rise as there are fewer stumbling blocks to start listening.
Among readers of business media De Tijd | L’Echo, this trend continues even more strongly. 61% listen to podcasts, an increase of no less than 15% compared to 2022. Almost 1 in 3 of readers of De Tijd | L’Echo is a “heavy user” who listens to podcasts either daily or more than 5 or 6 days a week.
Podcasts have become a high-reliability news and information medium. The average reliability score (6.6/10) is comparable to traditional media channels (newspapers 6.6/10, radio 6.7/10, television 6.6/10). Social media score significantly lower.
The popularity of the daily podcasts “The 7” and “Le Brief” confirms these survey results. Every day, an average of 25,000 to 30,000 people listen to these podcasts to be fully up to date with the latest business news.
The high reliability of the medium also makes podcast advertisements more highly rated. They stand out more to listeners, are more relevant and have a higher impact and attention value with consumers compared to other media.
About the survey
The second edition of ‘The Power of Podcast’ was conducted in April 2023 by research agency Ipsos, on behalf of Trustmedia. 1,500 Belgians and 754 readers of De Tijd | L’Echo were questioned via an online survey. Respondents were aged between 18 and 70. The sample was weighted by age, gender, region and social class.
Want to know more? Contact Bart Gunst, Head of Marketing, BI & Advertising Operations at Trustmedia at bart.gunst@trustmedia.be.