Today is International Podcast Day, a celebration of an increasingly popular platform that’s making big changes to how we listen to – and watch – our favourite content.
Some of Ofcom’s own research has highlighted how popular podcasts have become, as well as giving an insight into how people in the UK use them, and the types of content they prefer.
So to mark the day, we’ve pulled together some findings from our most recent Media Nations research published earlier this year. You can take a look at the report in full if you’d like more detail.
The continued rise of podcasts
The increasing popularity of podcasts is clear. Monthly listening has more than doubled since 2019, from 18% of people to 39% - even more so when watching video podcasts is included (43%). And more than a quarter (27%) of UK adults saying they now listen to podcasts each week.
Furthermore, at a time when audio habits continue to evolve, the proportion of people’s listening time dedicated to podcasts has also more than doubled, from 5% in 2022 to 11% in 2026.
A decade ago, people under the age of 35 were considered to be early adopters of podcasts, and podcasts now have a higher-than-average reach among 45-54s. Reach to listeners aged 65+ is now 13%. And there’s a slight gender difference when it comes to the reach of podcasts, with 29% of men and 24% of women listening weekly.
What subjects do people prefer?
For people who listen to podcasts at least weekly, news and current affairs is the most popular genre, listened to by 47% of these people. This is followed by entertainment (44%), comedy (41%) and discussions and talk shows (40%).
However, there are clear differences between age groups. Entertainment and comedy genres are most popular among 18-34 year-olds, while those aged 55+ are more likely to listen to podcasts about news, current affairs and politics. Some genres also have strong gender skews. For example, football podcasts are listened to by 31% of weekly podcast listeners, but this rises to 45% among men and just 14% among women.
Notably, podcasts showed their value during the 2026 local and devolved government election period across the UK, with 15% of people saying they had received election-related news through radio or podcasts.
Convenience and choice are big factors
People say they value podcasts for the convenience and choice they offer, and some listeners say they’d be happy to pay for those benefits. Overall, 35% say that they would be happy to pay to subscribe to their favourite podcasts – a proportion which has remained relatively constant over the past few years.
However, this differs significantly by age, with almost half (48%) those aged 16-34 saying this, compared to only 16% of those aged 55+.
Also, a large minority (45%) of podcast listeners say there are too many adverts on the podcasts they listen to – a figure which has grown over the past five years.
Podcasts aren’t just about audio
Podcasts now increasingly straddle the line between audio and video. Over two-thirds (68%) of podcast listeners say they listen to podcasts that also have videos, and this is more common among the 16-34 age group. A large minority of people (44%) also say they found podcasts with videos more engaging.
When it comes to the most-used devices for podcasts, mobile phones lead the way with 64% of people saying it’s their main way of accessing them. This is significantly more than other devices such as computers / laptops (13%), TVs (10%), tablets (8%) and voice-enabled speakers (5%).