Podcasts gain popularity in China as one in five internet users tuned in last year, report says
- More than 220 million of the country’s nearly 1.1 billion internet users tuned into podcasts on Ximalaya’s platform last year, across 31 genres
- Young professionals helped Chinese podcasts attract ads from global brands such as drinks giant Coca-Cola and luxury carmaker Cadillac
One in five internet users in China listened to a podcast last year, as the once niche sector gained popularity in 2023, according to a recently published research.
More than 220 million of the country’s nearly 1.1 billion internet users tuned into podcasts hosted by Ximalaya last year, across 31 genres of programmes, according to research published on Friday by the Chinese podcast service provider.
The audience for its podcasts skewed towards young Chinese professionals working in the country’s higher-tier cities, Ximalaya’s research showed.
The user group aged between 24 and 40 years represented more than 60 per cent of podcast listeners in China, while those from tier-one and tier-two cities accounted for more than 65 per cent of the total audience.
Consumers in China are also increasingly more inclined to pay for quality podcast content, with more than half signing up for premium content. More than 22,000 podcast hosts earned a combined total of 70 million yuan (US$9.8 million) on Ximalaya last year, the company revealed in its research.
