Podcasts are a great way of reaching consumers with shortform audio, without the full expense that comes with producing an audiobook, and in the US, reports Poland’s Weekend Gazeta, podcasts have been elevated to an art form.
In the United States…the releases of subsequent seasons of iconic productions are an event no less than the premiere of large series or films … The prestige of podcasts underlines their constant presence in the rankings of the most important cultural events prepared by American journalists. Their potential is already recognized by Hollywood, and the largest studios purchase rights to their cinema and television adaptations.
Poland has some way to go to catch up, but, says Gazeta,
The podcast market in Poland is dynamically growing. There are new distribution channels for this type of content, and authors regularly publish new episodes of their podcasts to attract a loyal crowd of listeners.
Of course there can be no better platform for podcasts than a site dedicated to audiobooks, so it should come as no surprise to learn that Storytel Poland, the Polish arm of the fifteen-country strong Storytel audiobook operation based in Sweden, in October commissioned Nielsen to survey internet users aged 19-49 to see if there was any mileage in podcasts for the Storytel Poland platform.
The research shows that although every fifth internet user in Poland regularly listens to podcasts aged 19-49, there is still a large group of recipients who do not even know what a podcast is.
The main podcast appreciating age group proved to be the over-30s looking for non-fiction, and while of course Polish transmissions were the most popular it seems some 19% listened to podcasts in other languages.
While those languages were not specified it’s a safe bet English and German featured highly, and that might prove an entry-point for content suppliers in those languages to target Polish audiences.
Jakub Barzak, Marketing Manager of Storytel Poland, said,
With podcasts, it’s a bit like with audiobooks some time ago. Poles have heard about them, but they do not necessarily use them. Those who are already using them are still open to experimenting with new titles. Podcasts are not only a form of entertainment, but also self-education and personal development. A short form, because we’re talking about a few-dozen- minute episodes, can be an alternative to a TV series or listening to music.
Poles return to their favorite programs regularly and devote more than three hours a week to listening to them.
Storytel has risen to the occasion with a series of podcasts by experts in their fields, which include politics, parenting, travel and animal care.
And while the Nielsen study showed 19-30 year olds to be the most engaged with podcasts, Storytel Poland has not missed the opportunity to put out podcasts for children.
Via Weekend.Gazeta.Poland.
