Podcasting isn’t just growing.
It’s changing.
Recent insights from Edison Research show that the next phase of podcast growth is being driven by new listeners and they behave very differently from the audiences publishers built for five or ten years ago.
Understanding these shifts matters, because they directly affect how written content should be distributed, repurposed, and monetized in 2026 and beyond.
Podcast listening is now a mainstream behavior
Over the past decade, weekly podcast listening in the U.S. has grown from 170 million hours per week to 773 million hours. That’s a 355% increase.
This growth isn’t coming from a small niche becoming more obsessed. It’s coming from podcasting crossing into the mainstream.
New listeners are joining at scale, and they bring different habits, devices, and expectations with them.
New listeners don’t “discover” podcasts the old way
One of the clearest findings from Edison’s research is how new podcast consumers find content.
Long-time listeners often discover podcasts through podcast apps or direct recommendations. New listeners are far more likely to encounter podcasts through social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or YouTube.
For publishers, this signals an important shift:
Podcasting is no longer just an RSS-first ecosystem. It’s increasingly a content format that travels across platforms.
That means articles that already perform well socially have a built-in opportunity to extend further as audio.
Audio and video are blending, not competing
Another notable insight is the rise of video podcast consumption, especially among newer listeners.
Many new consumers first encounter podcasts in video form, then move between watching and listening depending on context. Smart TVs are also emerging as a meaningful listening device, surpassing smart speakers in weekly usage.
The takeaway isn’t that audio is losing relevance.
It’s that audio has become part of a broader, flexible consumption loop.
People want the same content to adapt to their moment. Sometimes they read. Sometimes they listen. Sometimes they watch.
The audience is getting younger and more diverse
Edison’s data shows that newer podcast listeners skew:
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Younger
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More gender-balanced
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More ethnically diverse
This matters because these audiences already expect content to be accessible in multiple formats. Text-only publishing increasingly feels like a limitation, not a default.
For publishers and content teams, the question becomes less “Should we do audio?” and more “Why wouldn’t we?”
The real opportunity isn’t starting more podcasts
A common misconception is that participating in audio means launching and maintaining a traditional podcast show.
That approach still works for some brands, but it’s not scalable for most content teams.
The bigger opportunity is simpler:
Turn existing written content into audio automatically.
Articles already contain:
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Editorial insight
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SEO value
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Proven audience interest
Audio extends their lifespan and reach without requiring new editorial work.
Where MediaThrive fits into this shift
At MediaThrive, we built our product around this exact behavior change.
Our platform automatically converts articles into:
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High-quality audio versions embedded directly on the page
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Podcast episodes distributed through standard podcast feeds
No studio. No editing. No manual publishing steps.
When an article goes live, audio can exist alongside it by default. The same content becomes readable and listenable, adapting to how audiences actually consume information today.
For publishers, this means:
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More engagement from existing content
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Audio presence without operational overhead
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A foundation for podcast distribution without starting from zero
Audio doesn’t replace text. It completes it.
Edison Research’s findings point to a clear conclusion:
People haven’t stopped valuing written content. They’ve stopped having uninterrupted time.
Audio meets audiences where they are.
Text remains where depth lives.
The next chapter of podcasting isn’t about choosing one or the other.
It’s about letting content move freely between formats.
And for publishers who already produce great articles, the easiest way to participate in that future is to let those articles speak.