In this episode titled “Is the Podcasting Industry Really Worth 7.4 Billion?”, hosts Todd Cochrane and Rob Greenlee discuss their experiences with the upcoming Podcast Show 2025 in London, Todd’s travel plans, and his preparations for the event. Todd describes his recent return home and the updates he had to undertake in the studio after being away for over two months. They talk about the high costs of staying in London, with Todd noting that the hotel prices are extraordinary at $400 per night.
The conversation shifts to their concerns about the profile of attendees at the event, expressing worries that it may resemble past events like Podcast Movement, which saw a predominance of industry professionals rather than actual podcasters. Todd mentions that many profiles in the app for the event belong to producers and industry executives rather than content creators, which he finds concerning.
They also discuss the low number of American podcasters attending given recent sentiments around travel and concerns about interactions between nationalities.
As they explore the state of the podcasting industry, Rob shares findings from Hernan Lopez’s company, which estimates the global podcast economy at $7.4 billion, broken down into direct ad revenue, programmatic ad revenue, branded work for hire, and consumer revenue. Todd expresses skepticism about the consumer revenue portion, questioning the accuracy of the number claimed to be contributed by consumers to podcasters annually. They analyze the statistics by calculating the average earnings per podcaster in relation to the number of active shows in the industry and discuss the discrepancies in revenue claims.
The hosts further debate the evolving nature of podcasting, particularly the merging of audio and video formats. They emphasize the importance of understanding the distinction between traditional audio podcasts and video content, arguing over whether the current narrative in the industry is placing too much emphasis on video at the expense of audio.
As they wrap up, both Todd and Rob acknowledge the need for the industry to better serve niche audiences and content creators. They highlight the opportunities for podcasters to band together to create networks around specific topics and stress the value of community engagement to ensure the sustainability of the podcasting medium.
In closing, Todd gives recommendations on content relevant for deeper understanding and encourages listeners to engage with niche podcasts, while also prepping for their upcoming interactions at the Podcast Show 2025. They bid farewell and mention their social media handles for listeners to follow.
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