[2022] French Data Shows Podcast is a Media of ‘Softness’ and ‘Optimism’

One of the features we always look forward to is the annual report by global communications firm Havas Paris and its research arm, Consumer Science & Analytics. The report is based on a survey of 1,013 French podcast listeners, including 192 weekly podcast listeners.

It gives us up-to-date insight into different aspects of podcast listenership. [Study from Havas Paris and CSA Group 2022 presented in French at the Paris Podcast.

At Ausha we wanted to translate some of the key findings to share with our new American friends! Below we cover what we think are the most interesting takeaways.

Podcasts As Places of Softness and Optimism

The finding that stood out to us the most is how listeners consider podcasts spaces of tolerance, progress, softness, and trust. 🤝 The strong values of this media contrast with the perception of other media like social networks, for example, which listeners consider places of misinformation, informational overload, brutality, and immediacy. 

81% of weekly listeners say that listening to podcasts reduces daily stress, and 83% that it brings moments of softness to their lives. 🧘‍♀️ It allows them to take their time and stay calm in a world where everything is going too fast. 

Podcasts also help people both open up to others and refocus on themselves. 79% of weekly listeners say that they talk about the podcasts they listen to with at least one person, and 76% say that podcasts allow them to refocus on themselves. Overall, the study found that podcast listeners were more optimistic about the world around them than non-listeners. 🥳

The French Market is Stable with High Growth Potential

After the boom in podcasting during the peak of the COVID pandemic, there were concerns of a bust once people returned to their pre-pandemic activities in 2022. Additionally, with major news events like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, controversial presidential elections, and the energy crisis and rising gas prices, there was an assumption that French people might turn back to more traditional media.

These concerns of an listenership drop off in 2022 were unfounded, the data shows.

The podcast market in France only dropped one percentage point in 2022 – the overall listener rate was 32% in 2022 compared to 33% in 2021. The percentage of weekly podcast listeners decreased from 14% to 12%. In fact, 69% of weekly listeners say they have increased their podcast consumption. 23% listen to podcasts every day, and 73% say that listening to podcasts has become a habit ingrained in their daily lives. 🎧

The data also shows there is also a lot of potential for growth in the industry. According to the report, 68% of the French population is not listening to podcasts, and among these non-listeners, 53% don’t know what a podcast is, don’t think about listening to one, or don’t know how to listen to one. 🤷‍♀️

French Podcast Listeners are Still Young, Urban, Highly-Educated

Just as past years’ reports have shown, listeners continue to be young, urban, ultra-connected, over-consumers of media, and highly-educated. This is a highly prized demographic for most brands, and they are often hard to reach through more traditional kinds of media. This demographic is not leaving the podcast-sphere any time soon. 

Older people in France are likely to discover podcasts and become listeners over time, while current listeners are eager to add more podcast content to their lives. The arrival of social media influencers into the podcast space indicates future growth of young listeners. 🚀

Podcast Listeners Like to Learn about Brands

Since listeners see podcasts as a soft landing place in a hectic world, you might think listeners do not want brands to infiltrate that space. But not so!

Podcast listeners are very open to hearing about brands. 88% of the weekly listeners think podcasts are a good way for brands to communicate. 74% want to get to know brands better after hearing them on podcasts. 69% say that hearing about a brand on a podcast makes them want to buy the product/service.

The future looks bright! ☀️

Here at Ausha, we are proud of the role we have played in building the podcast community in France. We are thrilled to see such positive data about future growth. As we open up our podcast marketing platform to US users, we are excited to share our transatlantic perspective and lessons learned. 

We hope this little breakdown of the French-language report is helpful to everyone!