From laughter-inducing punchlines to chilling true crime revelations, 2024 was a year of unforgettable spoken audio moments. Podimo, which operates in seven markets, saw a 45% increase year-over-year for local-language podcast and audiobook listening.
As 2024 comes to a close, we reflect on the stories, genres, and habits that resonated most with our listeners in our Podimo 2024 global trend report below — and predict what the future may hold for 2025.
“2024 saw spoken audio entertainment reach new heights of influence globally,” says Podimo Chief Content Officer Sachin Doshi, “as we look to 2025, we see a stronger willingness to pay for quality local language content, in multiple markets we’re already generating more revenue for podcasters than the entire local advertising business.”
Our goal is to make that reality everywhere. Creators will continue to have differing goals, and our mission is to support them where they’re at, whether it’s helping them earn more, or developing their audience reach. Finally, the future of audio is audio, but many audio formats lend themselves to to a richer experience through visual engagement at the listener’s discretion.
We produce more of our shows in video than ever before, but we want to dive further into what visual engagement could mean for formats like True Crime or single host shows, where filming the recording session might not add value for the listener, but there are other ways to enhance the listening experience.”
The 2024 Global Trend Report
What genres saw the most growth in 2024?
Comedy reigned supreme emerging as a top-performing genre across multiple markets, showcasing massive growth in regions like Finland (194%) and Norway (81%).
Educational content, including science and history piqued listeners interests, growing by 92% in the Netherlands and 60% in Norway.
Meanwhile, society & culture resonated deeply, with Finland leading with a 118% increase, followed by Denmark (37%) and Spain (43%).
True crime retained its grip on listeners, with standout growth in Spain (408%) and sustained interest in Denmark (17.68%) and Germany (7.26%).
Lifestyle-oriented genres saw exponential growth, with lifestyle podcasts in Finland increasing by 125% and the Netherlands recording a 128% rise.
Across all markets, gender-specific trends revealed diverging listening habits in 2024:
Women favored society & culture, with growth rates as high as 98.42 in Finland, while true crime saw the highest engagement among Spanish women (417%)
Men displayed a strong interest in history, particularly in Norway (400%) and the Netherlands (121%), alongside a burgeoning interest in education (103% in the Netherlands.)