As one of the most powerful forms of human expression today, video is becoming core to the global Spotify experience. They have been steadily investing in the format to connect creators and fans in new, deeper ways on our platform, from the recent launch of music videos in beta to testing video-based learning courses in the U.K. But the medium has seen the most growth in the podcasting space, where video is truly changing the game—in fact, more than 170 million users have watched a video podcast on Spotify.
Spotify introduced video podcasts for a select number of shows in 2020, and they’ve since made the format available for creators in nearly every market. They recently made it possible for non-hosted podcast creators to upload video to Spotify for the first time, opening up yet another avenue for their engagement and success.
All the while, video podcasts have been growing in popularity, with creators around the world leaning into the format to deepen engagement with their fans. More than half of the top 20 podcasts on Spotify have video, including heavy hitters like The Joe Rogan Experience and Call Her Daddy. The format is resonating with audiences, who want to be able to choose how to engage with their favorite content. Globally on Spotify, the average daily streams of video podcasts have increased by more than 39% year-over-year. In the U.S., nearly two-thirds of podcast listeners say they prefer shows with video, according to a recent Cumulus Media survey.
“Spotify is always evolving to better serve our users and drive success for creators,” said Jordan Newman, Head of Content Partnerships at Spotify. “With podcasts, the video format can add an additional layer of authenticity and connection for fans. That’s why we continue to hear that audiences want the ability to not only listen, but also watch their favorite shows. And we see that in the data: Audience retention increases when creators add video—and every creator wants a loyal, highly engaged fan base that keeps coming back.”
“We continue to see demand for video from both creators and their audiences,” Newman continued. “The number of creators publishing video each month keeps growing, and more and more of our users are watching. As demand continues to rise, we will keep enhancing our video capabilities.”
The rise of video content on Spotify
Globally, video consumption hours on Spotify have grown faster than audio-only consumption hours year-over-year, and audiences retain video podcasts at higher rates than audio podcasts. But what exactly does that growth look like? During VidCon 2024 this week, Spotify revealed new stats around the popularity of video as a medium on our platform.
- There are now more than 250,000 video podcast shows on Spotify—up from 100,000 in 2023.
- More than 170 million users have watched a video podcast on Spotify.
- More than 70% of users consuming video podcasts watch them in the foreground.
- On Spotify, nearly 1 in 3 U.S. podcast monthly active users (MAUs) engage with video, while nearly 1 in 4 global podcast MAUs engage with video. Globally, the number of video podcast MAUs has grown by 40% year-over-year.
- The number of creators actively publishing video each month has grown nearly 70% year-over-year.
- The largest markets by creators publishing video are the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico.
- In Brazil and the Philippines, roughly 20% of all monthly active podcast creators are publishing video. This share has nearly doubled since last year.
- At the market level, especially in Chile and Brazil, they are seeing video grow its share of total podcast consumption hours. In Chile, video hours make up a quarter of total podcast consumption hours. In Brazil, video hours make up more than 15% of total podcast consumption hours.
