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The Covid-19 lockdowns have accelerated the growth of podcasting at home and abroad. The desire to connect in times of isolation has attracted new players to the medium. Internationally, the continued growth of podcasting is following the well-worn capitalist expansionist logic of seeking out new consumers. Here, we look at a few trends and what they can tell us about what’s on the audio storytelling horizon for 2021.
For many years the nascent South African podcast industry has been stuck in the audience/advertising bind; without high enough audience numbers, it is near impossible to attract substantial advertising investment or listener donations – the model that funds much open-access media the world over. Without access to affordable data or widespread wi-fi it is hard for podcasting to gain traction, and without revenue it is near impossible to produce quality shows.