Apple launched podcasts on iTunes way back in 2005, the same year that the Oxford Dictionary named “podcast” its word of the year.
A lot has changed since the early days when iTunes was mostly populated with The Ricky Gervais Show and an assortment of news podcasts repackaged from radio shows. These days, according to Apple, it is home to over 525,000 active shows, with more than 18.5 million episodes available, including content in over 100 languages. Its podcasts span the globe, covering 155 countries and, per Apple, “29 groupings of localized editorial.” In short, if you feel overwhelmed with podcast content–you’re not alone.
As content has grown, so has the fanbase:
- In 2014, there were 7 billion podcast downloads.
- In 2016, that number jumped to 10.5 billion.
- In 2017, it jumped to 13.7 billion episode downloads and streams, across Podcasts and iTunes.
- In March 2018, Apple Podcasts passed 50 billion all-time episode downloads and streams.
While there are a lot of podcasts out there, and creative minds and innovative brands are constantly creating new ones, it seems clear we’re all doing our best to listen to each and every one of them. So keep ’em coming, podcasters.
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