As South Africa’s mainstream radio market struggles to grow, the increase in internet penetration and accessibility to smartphones see the podcasting industry take off.
Some of SA’s most popular podcasts include local and international productions such as Podcast and Chill with MacG, On Purpose with Jay Shetty, The Gareth Cliff Show, 5 True Crime South Africa, The Money Show and TED Talks Daily, with the most popular garnering a minimum of one million listens per episode.
According to Cliff, podcasts also allow listeners to find exactly the kind of content they care about, while mainstream broadcasters are often expected to try and be too many things, to please a wide variety of listeners. “It doesn’t really hinder market growth. Especially if you consider the growth of TikTok, Instagram and Twitter in South Africa – not to mention the video-streaming platforms such as Netflix, Showmax and YouTube. Podcasts and live-streaming cost a tiny fraction of what it costs to scroll through social media − and it’s a cost people are willing to bear.
According to Savage, companies finally understand the value of podcasting and are starting their own platforms and networks to gain value. This has led to many companies evolving their business strategy to produce their own podcasting channels, going beyond just placing an advert on someone else’s production.