The big news: Spotify is buying podcast network The Ringer for an estimated $196M!
Key details for The Ringer:
1) Founded in 2016 by Bill Simmons
2) 90 employees
3) 30 different podcasts
4) 100M downloads per month
5) 3.33M downloads/show/month
6) HBO owned 10%
Flashback: For Bill Simmons’s the Ringer, Podcasting Is the Main Event
Top 10 podcasting apps by share according to Activate Consulting:
1) Apple Podcasts – 21%
2) Spotify – 19%
3) YouTube Music – 12%
4) Google Podcasts – 9%
5) iHeart Radio – 7%
6) Barstool Sports – 6%
7) Soundcloud – 6%
8) CastBox – 5%
9) NPR One – 4%
10) TuneIn – 3%
Monthly podcast listeners in U.S. (YoY growth):
1) 2013 – 32M
2) 2014 – 40M (↑ 25%)
3) 2015 – 46M (↑ 15%)
4) 2016 – 57M (↑ 24%)
5) 2017 – 65M (↑ 14%)
6) 2018 – 75M (↑ 15%)
7) 2019P – 88M (↑ 17%)
8) 2020P – 103M (↑ 17%)
9) 2021P – 120M (↑ 17%)
10) 2022P – 140M (↑ 17%)
11) 2023P – 164M (↑ 17%)
Podcast advertising revenue (YoY growth):
1) 2017 – $300M
2) 2018 – $400M (↑ 33%)
3) 2019P – $600M (↑ 50%)
4) 2020P – $800M (↑ 33%)
5) 2021P – $1.0B (↑ 25%)
6) 2022P – $1.2B (↑ 20%)
7) 2023P – $1.6B (↑ 33%)
Podcast advertising revenue/user (YoY growth):
1) 2017 – $4.62
2) 2018 – $5.33 (↑ 16%)
3) 2019P – $6.82 (↑ 28%)
4) 2020P – $7.77 (↑ 14%)
5) 2021P – $8.33 (↑ 7%)
6) 2022P – $8.57 (↑ 3%)
7) 2023P – $9.76 (↑ 14%)
Podcast: Spotify, The Ringer and the future of podcasts
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