A Year of Stories and Reactions in 2024, and the Trends That Will Define Podcasting in 2025
Copenhagen, Denmark - 17 December, 2024 - From laughter-inducing punchlines to chilling true crime revelations, 2024 was a year of unforgettable spoken audio moments. Podimo, which operates in seven markets, saw a 45% increase year-over-year for local-language podcast and audiobook listening. As 2024 comes to a close, we reflect on the stories, genres, and habits that resonated most with our listeners in our Podimo 2024 global trend report below—and predict what the future may hold for 2025.
Podimo 2024 Global Trend Highlights (full report below):
Comedy experienced explosive growth, with Finland leading at a staggering +194% and Norway following at +81%.
True Crime’s grip intensifies: Spain saw a remarkable +408% surge in True Crime engagement, particularly among women, while Germany saw 49% of listeners falling asleep to True Crime.
Audiobooks via Podcasts: Denmark and Finland saw nearly double the amount (47% and 46%, respectively) of podcast lovers discovering audiobooks, showcasing an increasing synergy between the two formats.
Binge Behavior: Denmark emerged as the most binge-oriented market, with 27% of users consuming 3+ hours of podcasts or audiobooks in a single day.
Weekday Listening Habits: Across markets, weekday listening exceeded weekends by 40–50%, highlighting spoken audio’s role in daily routines.
"2024 saw spoken audio entertainment reach new heights of influence globally,” says Podimo Chief Content Officer Sachin Doshi, “as we look to 2025, we see a stronger willingness to pay for quality local language content, and in multiple markets we’re already generating more revenue for podcasters than the entire local advertising business. Our goal is to make that a reality everywhere. Creators will continue to have differing goals, and our mission is to support them where they’re at, whether it’s helping them earn more, or developing their audience reach. Finally, the future of audio is audio, but many audio formats lend themselves to a richer experience through visual engagement, at the listener’s discretion. We produce more of our shows in video than ever before, but we want to dive further into what visual engagement could mean for formats like True Crime or single host shows, where filming the recording session might not add value for the listener, but there are other ways to enhance the listening experience."
The 2024 Global Trend Full Report:
What genres saw the most growth in 2024?
Comedy reigned supreme emerging as a top-performing genre across multiple markets, showcasing massive growth in regions like Finland (194%) and Norway (81%).
Educational content piqued listeners’ interests, growing by 92% in the Netherlands and 60% in Norway. The surge in knowledge-driven genres, including science (101% in the Netherlands) and history (137% in Norway), reflects a growing demand for intellectually stimulating and informative podcasts.
Meanwhile, society & culture resonated deeply, with Finland leading with a 118% increase, followed by Denmark (37%) and Spain (43%).
True crime retained its grip on listeners, with standout growth in Spain (408%) and sustained interest in Denmark (17.68%) and Germany (7.26%).
Lifestyle-oriented genres saw exponential growth, with lifestyle podcasts in Finland increasing by 125% and the Netherlands recording a 128% rise.
Across all markets, gender-specific trends revealed diverging listening habits in 2024:
Women favored society & culture, with growth rates as high as 98.42% in Finland, while true crime saw the highest engagement among Spanish women (417%).
Men displayed a strong interest in history, particularly in Norway (400%) and the Netherlands (121%), alongside a burgeoning interest in education (103% in the Netherlands).
What topics saw the most engagement across markets?
Germany: Murder, Investigations, True Crime (12.3 episodes/month)
Finland: Court Trials, Murder, Friendship (10.6 episodes/month)
Denmark: Humor, Love, Friendship (7.7 episodes/month)
Netherlands: Friendship, Relationships, Humor (6.3 episodes/month)
Spain: Humor, Relationships (6.2 episodes/month)
Norway: Relationships, Humor, Mental Health (4.8 episodes/month)
What genres did people fall asleep to?
Germany: True Crime & Mysteries led with 49% of nighttime listeners.
Netherlands: True Crime & Mysteries were preferred by 44% of nighttime listeners.
Denmark: News & Politics engaged 43% of nighttime listeners.
Spain & Norway: Health & Personal Development attracted 48% (Spain) and 43% (Norway).
Finland: Culture & Leisure dominated with 42% of nighttime listeners.
Bingeworthy: what countries loved binge-listening the most?
Denmark: 27% of listeners spent over 3 hours straight on podcasts or audiobooks.
Netherlands: 21% engaged in extended listening sessions.
Germany & Finland: Close behind with 17% and 16%, respectively.
Norway & Spain: Moderate binging behavior at 13% and 12%.
Podcast lovers discovering audiobooks:
The number of podcast listeners that discovered audiobooks grew in 2024, nearly doubling in the Nordics, reflecting a growing synergy with podcasts serving as an entry point for new audiences exploring long-form audio content.
Denmark and Finland: 47% of podcast listeners discovered audiobooks for the first time, with Finland close behind at 46%.
Norway: 40% of users engaged with audiobooks.
Germany & Netherlands: Moderate engagement at 36% each.
Spain: 27% of users explored audiobooks.
Weekday vs. Weekend Listening (2024)
Weekday listening was 40–50% higher than weekends across most markets in 2024.
Denmark & Netherlands: 38–43% more weekday listens.
Finland: Weekday listening grew to 44% higher than weekends, up from 37% in 2023.
Norway: Maintained a steady 51% weekday preference.
Spain: Showed the highest weekday engagement, with a 74% weekday advantage.
Germany: Weekday listening increased from a 31% gap in 2023 to 41% in 2024.
Peak listening hours for podcasts and audiobooks?
Spain & Finland: Early morning peaks between 9:00–10:00.
Germany: Peaks mid-morning at 11:00.
Denmark & Norway: High engagement early afternoon, 13:00–14:00.
Netherlands: Late afternoon peak at 15:00
With spoken audio continuing to gain popularity as an information and entertainment source, and ever-evolving listener habits and interests, Podimo anticipates an exciting 2025. Stay tuned for more stories, laughter, and memorable experiences in the new year.
About Podimo:
Podimo is a subscription-based podcasting and audiobook service available across Europe and Latin America. One of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies of 2024,” we offer a wide range of local-language spoken audio entertainment through award-winning exclusives and originals, audiobooks, as well as your favorite podcasts available on all platforms. With a focus on local stories and diverse voices, we are committed to giving creators more opportunities to earn revenue and develop their audience, resulting in more and better content for listeners. The app offers a personalized audio experience including interactive community features, and can be enjoyed on iOS and Android, iPad, CarPlay, as well as on web player at podimo.com.