Apple will soon be overtaken by Spotify in terms of monthly podcast listeners: Apple has long been a leader in podcasts, but the company has failed to lay the foundation for future growth from this excellent position. It remains to be seen whether the steps that have now been taken will come in time to protect the former leadership.
Apple slept too long
As recently as 2018, around 34% of American podcast listeners used the Apple app to listen to their programs; in 2021 this figure will drop to just 23.8%, predicts eMarketer. Apple was a leader here for a long time, according to the industry observer, but then they failed to set the tone to expand this leadership.
For many years the podcasts app was only seen as a distribution platform for content – third-party content. Spotify, on the other hand, has been investing in acquisitions for years, some of which are now very popular originals, not only in the USA, but also in other important markets such as Germany. Now Apple recently announced its own podcast original for the first time, Apfelpage.de reportedThis announcement has not yet been followed by another, and the first original is also an audio companion to a series on Apple TV +, a streaming service that viewers lack. It is more than questionable whether Apple will actually manage to achieve significant gains for its own position in the podcast segment with such a hesitant approach.
