Ofcom: Podcast listening more than doubled since 2019
October 1, 2026



Ofcom research highlights how popular podcasts have become, as well as giving an insight into how people in the UK use them, and the types of content they prefer.

The increasing popularity of podcasts is clear, says the media watchdog. Monthly listening has more than doubled since 2019, from 18 per cent of people to 39 per cent – even more so when watching video podcasts is included (43 per cent). And more than a quarter (27 per cent) of UK adults saying they now listen to podcasts each week.


Furthermore, at a time when audio habits continue to evolve, the proportion of people’s listening time dedicated to podcasts has also more than doubled, from 5 per cent in 2022 to 11 per cent in 2026.

A decade ago, people under the age of 35 were considered to be early adopters of podcasts, and podcasts now have a higher-than-average reach among 45-54s. Reach to listeners aged 65+ is now 13 per cent. And there’s a slight gender difference when it comes to the reach of podcasts, with 29 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women listening weekly.

What subjects do people prefer?

For people who listen to podcasts at least weekly, news and current affairs is the most popular genre, listened to by 47 per cent of these people. This is followed by entertainment (44 per cent), comedy (41 per cent) and discussions and talk shows (40 per cent).

However, there are clear differences between age groups. Entertainment and comedy genres are most popular among 18-34 year-olds, while those aged 55+ are more likely to listen to podcasts about news, current affairs and politics. Some genres also have strong gender skews. For example, football podcasts are listened to by 31 per cent of weekly podcast listeners, but this rises to 45 per cent among men and just 14 per cent among women.

Notably, podcasts showed their value during the 2026 local and devolved government election period across the UK, with 15 per cent of people saying they had received election-related news through radio or podcasts.

Convenience and choice are big factors

People say they value podcasts for the convenience and choice they offer, and some listeners say they’d be happy to pay for those benefits. Overall, 35 per cent say that they would be happy to pay to subscribe to their favourite podcasts – a proportion which has remained relatively constant over the past few years.

However, this differs significantly by age, with almost half (48 per cent) those aged 16-34 saying this, compared to only 16 per cent of those aged 55+.

Also, a large minority (45 per cent) of podcast listeners say there are too many adverts on the podcasts they listen to – a figure which has grown over the past five years.

Podcasts aren’t just about audio

Podcasts now increasingly straddle the line between audio and video. Over two-thirds (68 per cent) of podcast listeners say they listen to podcasts that also have videos, and this is more common among the 16-34 age group. A large minority of people (44 per cent) also say they found podcasts with videos more engaging.

When it comes to the most-used devices for podcasts, mobile phones lead the way with 64 per cent of people saying it’s their main way of accessing them. This is significantly more than other devices such as computers / laptops (13 per cent), TVs (10 per cent), tablets (8 per cent) and voice-enabled speakers (5 per cent).