The final installment of the MAIN Conferences series, the podcast conference held at SACD this week , takes stock Distributing and co-producing of a booming and evolving ecosystem. At this pivotal moment, longtime radio players and streaming platforms are questioning podcast writing, distribution, and fair compensation for authors.
Online audio: a usage that is becoming commonplace
Rodolphe Desprès, Head of the Internet Department at Médiamétrie, presents mexc database a study entirely devote to audio . While FM radio remains the primary medium for listening to audio content, “streaming” (listening without downloading) and “podcasting” are growing, and these can be either a “replay” of a program already broadcast, or “native” content, i.e., content produce for the web.
Beyond this disruptive use of radio, listening to audio online has become a common use on the web, just like reading press articles or watching videos. The proof is in the pudding: podcasts now have their own festival: the Paris Podcast Festival .
The excitement of native podcasts
Historical players like Radio France have launche into the production of native compelling email subject lines podcasts ( France Inter , France Culture , RTL , Europe 1 ) as well as the press ( Elle , Slate , Le Parisien ) and independent players ( Binge Audio . Louie Media Nouvelles écoutes , Boxsons ).
Originally exclusively musical, streaming platforms ( Deezer , Spotify ) have also. A starte distributing and co-producing spoken audio. At the same time, new players ( Sybel , Majelan ) have been offering a selection. A of podcasts and their own productions since their launch. As proof of this booming ecosystem, the iTunes France podcast ranking now includes native podcasts in its top 10.
A young and engage audience
The audience for native podcasts is young, upper-middle-class, from the Île-de-France region, and fans of digital audio. In France, native podcasts are now known by nearly 40% of internet users age 15 and over. They are even more so among younger audiences, at 63% for those age 15-24.
Furthermore, we don’t listen to a podcast by chance like we watch a video. The audience for this format is engage. 15% of Internet users aged 15 and over can name at least one native podcast from a radio station, and 18% are familiar with at least one native podcast from another station.
A unique tone
Native podcasting allows for more offbeat, freer, and longer-form writing. Whether it’s about feminism, sex, racial or gender identity, personal development, or entrepreneurship, native podcasting, free from any format constraints, adopts the tone of the community it’s aime at.
” There’s this very particular tone that we seek when we do co-productions with media brands like So Foot, for example,” explains Frederic Antelme of Deezer.
Fiction writers are exploiting this freedom of tone. Klaire fait Grr, author and member of the SACD, produceda soap opera comedy about the romantic disappointments of a young woman, which receivedthe Prix Italia for best radio fiction in 2018.
Listening aids
Native podcasts are consumed 48% via podcast apps. 41% of listening sale lead takes place on the publisher’s website or app.
Discovering podcasts via smart speakers is still relatively . A rare in France today. Opinions differ on the need to be present.
“I believe more in integration into connecte cars than in connectespeakers,” says Mathieu Gallet of Majelan .
When Virginie Maire , Founder of Sybel, chooses to be there.
” 45% of podcast consumption happens at home. We therefore want to be present on this listening tool suitable for the home.”
Discoverability
Poorly reference and much less viral than video, podcast discoverability is a major challenge. All players are asking the same question: how can they make their podcasts visible and how can they encourage Internet users to discover others?
According to the Médiamétrie study, 34% of Internet users who listen to native podcasts discover them through podcast applications and 59% through social networks .
We allow podcasters to edit a thirty-second clip to highlight their podcast on . A social media because we know that the engagement rate is much higher with a video clip than with a simple photo,” explains Maxime Piquette of Ausha , a podcast distribution service created by podcasters.
While Google and Apple have recently made announcements about Distributing and co-producing speech-to-text, spoken audio transcription is still very poor in French. Speech-to-text is expensive to produce, but all stakeholders are aware that it greatly improves podcast discoverability.