What's next for podcasts in 2021? Fri, May 7 2021 14:48 IST | 8 Views What's next for podcasts in 2021?. Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, May 7 : Let us take our chances and say that you are tempted to skip reading this entire article, apart from the key pointers. But imagine this -- how about an audio broadcast version of this, which you can listen to while multitasking with whatever you are doing at the moment. That's essentially what a podcast is, and convenience is just one of the reasons behind its surging popularity. The rise in popularity of podcasts in recent times In December 2020, Amazon announced its acquisition of Wondery, a podcasting company. The popular audio firm Spotify has also been acquiring multiple podcast start-ups over the past two years. Ximalaya FM, a Chinese podcasting platform, has earned the unicorn status. This shopping spree by industry giants is a strong indicator of just how big podcasts are set to become globally. India too saw a growth in podcast listeners with a 42 per cent increase of users on audio streaming platforms in March 2020.