Catch-up radio podcasts up 81% on ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network

One year on from launch, Australian Radio Network’s (ARN) iHeartPodcast Network has claimed its podcast downloads have more than doubled – up 111% compared to the same time last year.

The changes are measured between the month of February 2020 and February 2021.

One of the largest percentage increases was catch-up radio, which climbed 81% year-on-year. This was only outdone by comedy, which was up 93%, business & finance, up 407%, and sports, up 116%.

The increase for catch-up radio makes it the second most-popular genre.

Other fast-growing categories include music (up 80%), news (up 52%) and entertainment & lifestyle (up 20%).

ARN’s head of digital audio, Corey Layton, said: “The iHeartPodcast Network Australia has had an incredible 12 months – holding the title of Australia’s #1 podcast publisher since launch, showing phenomenal growth. From day one, our mission has been to connect the best local and global creators with audiences and to create deeply integrated and measurable brand campaigns. Our leading-edge data and growth across the platform shows we are delivering what audiences and brands want – and we’re just getting started.”

Chief commercial officer, Pete Whitehead, added: “With the success of the iHeartPodcast Network, ARN continues to expand its commercial offering with the most compelling content partnerships on a platform that has seen exceptional audience growth in the past year. We will continue to expand the iHeartPodcast Network’s diverse content offering and deliver the very best integrated commercial partnership opportunities for clients with our market-leading comprehensive audio offering.”

The data was sourced by podcast technology provider, Megaphone.