Apologies for sounding like a damaged report, however the numbers are down once more. This time by rather a lot, though that’s not uncommon for the tip of the yr. Podtrac reviews that, among the many prime 20 publishers, downloads fell 19 p.c month over month and down 24 p.c yr over yr. The report states that the drop is “due largely to modified obtain habits by iOS 17 because it continues to be adopted by podcast listeners.”
In September, Apple launched iOS 17, which included a small change that has had a big effect on downloads. It was once that in case you subscribed to a present, forgot about it for some time, after which returned, the entire intervening episodes would obtain robotically. However iOS 17 has made it so downloads decide up the place you left off with out these automated downloads. Ultimately, it’s a good factor each on your telephone reminiscence and for advertisers who need a exact thought of who is definitely listening to their spots. However for publishers, it’s a correction that scales their general metrics down within the brief time period.
How brief time period stays to be seen. As of November, Podtrac discovered that 75 p.c of podcast listeners have been utilizing iOS 17, and that determine seemingly rose additional in December. However the December quantity (19 p.c lower month over month!!) ought to be taken with a grain of salt. Listener habits are disrupted throughout the holidays, and Podtrac reported an 11 p.c lower month over month in December 2022. That mentioned, even with final yr’s December dip, downloads have been up 2 p.c yr over yr.
