2019 was a monumental year for the podcast industry. Among many developments, the Apple Podcasts directory crossed its 800,000th show listing in December. According to a study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PwC, global advertising revenue is poised to exceed US$2 billion.
As we wrap up two years of being a podcast-first company in the UAE—a journey that led to AMAEYA Media becoming the largest podcast network in the country with 14 shows—it was fundamental for us to provide the right context for the industry and gather insights from listeners and non-listeners.
Our first State of the Industry report is an accumulation of not just our survey data, but also global insights and our own experience in the industry over the last 24 months.
Our research brought out three key findings for the regional industry in 2019:
- There’s a disconnect between local listeners and locally produced content
- Podcast discovery is still a major challenge
- Local listeners find podcasts a great way to make the most of their time
The report delves into our survey findings, highlights key trends and challenges for the medium and provides our perspective on the regional industry. The report also incorporates inputs from major industry players such as Anghami, Dukkan Media & Podiant.
None of this would be possible without the feedback of our community of listeners or the growing ecosystem of podcasters and companies that are planting their roots in the medium. We hope that this report paves the way for all of us to build on top of actual data and help bridge the gap between creators, listeners, publishers and advertisers.
You can read an online version of the report or, if you prefer it, download a PDF.