Podcasting has not lived up to the hype
By John Pospisil
A new study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project reports that 12 per cent of Internet users had downloaded a podcast in the past year, and that 1 per cent download a podcast every day.
The study involved a telephone survey of 972 Internet users.
While it’s clear that podcasts have their place, and that some people are listening to them, the actual uptake of podcast listening is a far cry from what was envisioned in the early days of podcasting, when it was spoken about as an alternative to radio.
Podcasting faces a number of problems.
First, if the average person wants to listen to audio content when they’re out and about, it’s far easier for them easier to listen to music on an iPod or an in-car CD player, or to simply switch on the radio.
Second, the average person only has a limited amount of time. Listening to a 20 minute podcast is a huge investment in time for the average busy person. Just think of the number of blogs you can skim read in 20 minutes.
Third, while there’s an obvious, easy-to access revenue stream for blogs and web sites (Google Adsense, for example), there is no such readily available revenue stream for podcasters. I know of a couple of very good podcasters who have been podcasting for more than 12 months, who have not earned a cent for their endeavors.
Podcasting will always have a place on the Internet, but as time passes, it’s becoming clearer that will always be a niche rather than a mainstream medium.
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Read more entries by John Pospisil.
Stumble It!
November 23rd, 2006
25 million americans are listening to a podcast every day, and you think its not working as a mainstream medium? You may be right. But I’m not sure that the ABC or BBC ,for example, would agree with the number of downloads they’re getting. Video on the net is certainly a mainstream medium now though, with YouTube getting 100 million views a day. Our podcast classes in Sydney have been popular all year, mostly with professionals, and the video classes which we’re just trialling look like they’e going off. There’s been a lag between the early adopters in podcasting and the corporates taking it up. But video, because it appeals to younger people is taking off very fast. Also don’t forget the long tail – the internet makes it possible to find and prosper with a small audience. There’s riches in niches as they say.
Bob
NetCastNow.net
November 23rd, 2006
Perhaps that niche would be 5-minute podcasts related to learning a language, or other instructional podcasts that can fill-up those 3 to 5 minute breaks in people’s lives.
As far as revenue streams go, there’s always RSS feed advertising and corporate sponsorships. True, you don’t see that many podcasters raking in ad revenues, but the potential is there, especially if they take a more integrated rather than a podcast-only approach.
November 23rd, 2006
I’m glad that podcasting hasn’t lived up to the hype. Anything that’s hyped becomes a fad and we all know what happens to fads. Just ask the Spice Girls. You’re here today, forgotten tomorrow.
So, I’m pleased that podcasting isn’t a hype simply because it’s here to stay and it has staying power. People just have to understand how to use it effectively for their businesses so that they attract listeners.
November 24th, 2006
“Podcasts” are but one way that people consume audio and video online. “Podcasts” as a concept do not have to be adopted widely for audio and video programs to be a valuable and non-niche content format. In some ways “podcasts” are just a gimmicky rename for what already existed.
The real analysis of penetration would be:
Have you watched or listened to audio or video programs online?
Have you downloaded audio or video programs to you PC?
Have you watched or listened to audio or video programs that you have downloaded on to a portable media device like an iPod?
Producers should be pursuing quality program content first and deliver it on demand in as many formats as users choose to engage it. Everything from flash to iTunes needs to be considered if we are producing programs to have the broadest possible audience reach.
Avoid the jargon fatigue.
November 24th, 2006
Am I missing something here, besides the typo: “if the average person wants to listen to audio content when they’re out and about, it’s far easier for them easier to listen to music on an iPod or an in-car CD player, or to simply switch on the radio.” ?. It’s easier to listen to music than a podcast on an iPod? Or perhaps the writer thinks that podcasts are stuck on a computer? The writing here is so amateurish.
December 20th, 2006
Hey all.
I have Windows XP.
What are some of the video podcasting software that produces video podcasts for the PC compatible with video ipods and apple itunes?