Posted 12 Feb. 2023 at 05:18 PMUpdated Feb 12. 2023 at 17:26
Easy to launch a podcast, but more difficult to continue it for a long time… This is in summary one of the conclusions of the Observatory of the podcast, carried out by the Carism laboratory (Panthéon-Assas University), financed by the DGMIC (Direction générale media and cultural industries).
Indeed, many media or studios have launched information podcasts in recent years, but few remain. The proof in three key figures.
80% of native news podcasts are gone
A lot of podcasts die very quickly. Out of 971 native news podcasts (excluding series with a predetermined number of episodes and excluding individual episodes) launched since 2002 in France by traditional media, platforms or studios, only 149 continued to exist in autumn 2022 , according to data from the Podcast Observatory, isolated for “Les Echos”. This therefore means that more than 80% of native news podcasts (excluding replays) have disappeared.
Within this universe, the written press, which launched the most podcast titles, compared to radio, television or even studios, also recorded a large number of interruptions: out of 650 titles (excluding series and singles) , 360 no longer exist. The biggest producers in recent years in the press have been “L’Equipe” and “Le Monde” in the national press, “Le Point” and “Elle” in the magazine press.
16% of podcasts released in 2021 lasted less than three months
With the explosion in the number of podcasts, “failures” have also increased sharply. Podcasts released in the last two or three years have had a greater tendency to disappear. In 2021, out of 417 podcasts released, 67 lasted less than three months (16%). By comparison, in 2017, there were fewer launches (43) but also fewer stops (only 2). “There is a real contrast between, on the one hand, the interest of the media for podcasts, the phenomenon of fashion and the herd effect observed, and on the other hand, the ability to continue podcasting, given the time it takes. requires”, explains Marie-Eva Lesaunier, researcher for the observatory. The launch of podcasts most often results from the individual wishes of journalists, “but over time, the desire can run out of steam”, adds the specialist.
A quarter of podcasts have an irregular periodicity
At the same time, 228 podcasts (still active or interrupted) out of the 971 listed had an irregular frequency (for example announced as monthly when there is only one every six months), i.e. nearly a quarter of them. The study thus evokes a “production not always well controlled”.
These irregular podcasts are mainly produced by the magazine or regional press. In particular, the regional daily press seems to have “great difficulties in stabilizing its productions, for lack of substantial resources and appropriate training”, notes the researcher.