Podcasting's Netflix moment: the global battle for domination

With huge audience growth forecast, the race is on to lead podcast distribution

Podcasting is experiencing a Netflix moment. Global hits – from the ground-breaking Serial to Up and Vanished, and TV crossovers such as Dirty John – and Spotify’s plan to spend up to $500m on leading producers have made podcasts a hot media property.

Global monthly podcast listener figures are forecast to grow more than six-fold, from 287 million in 2016 to 1.85 billion in 2023, according to the Ovum research company Ovum. In the UK, Ofcom says that nearly 6 million people tune into a podcast each week, double the number of five years ago.

1. Serial  The true crime series by This American Life launched in 2014 and became a phenomenon that put podcasting on the global map. The three series to date have attracted more than 350m downloads.