The podcast boom is in full swing, and there are now almost 600 million listeners around the world.
There’s been a rapid increase in numbers year-on-year in recent times, with a 6.63 per cent rise in 2025 from the year before.
The well-established podcasts are reaping the rewards of this thriving market, but newer ones may now find it harder to break through. This could lead to more innovation in the podcast realm, as less-established podcasts explore different techniques to grow their audiences.
Expanding into Related Entertainment to Reach a Wider Market
One of the best marketing techniques in the modern age is for entertainment products to branch out into other sectors to get attention. This is most often seen with films and television series, which are frequently transformed into games to boost awareness.
The online casino market is one of the busiest online sectors, so many franchises try to get represented there. For example, among the online slots at Betfair Casino, there are games based on television shows such as Deal or No Deal and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. These series have also broken into the mobile market, where there are various related games. It’s this form of expansion that has helped them become two of the best-known game shows on the planet.
Podcasts could go the same way with such entertainment tie-ins. The great thing about these games is that they don’t have to be directly related to the theme of the podcast. They could merely include symbols of the presenter and guests, and include special features based on the show’s content.
Integrating VR to Make Listeners Feel Like They Are There
There are plenty of other ways to boost podcasts with new technology. Many people enjoy watching shows via YouTube and seeing the podcaster and their guests sitting in a studio. Indeed, according to a piece in International Podcast Day about the timeline of the podcast, video has been a key part of the medium from the early days. Now could be the perfect time to expand on this, with the introduction of virtual reality.
Projections about VR from Grand View Research expect the market to be worth $435 billion by 2030, suggesting that it will be a major household item by that time. Innovative podcasters could seek to implement VR in their shows, with listeners getting the chance to sit in and feel as though they are there amid the conversation.
This could even be expanded upon with podcasts exiting the studio and taking place in different virtual settings. For example, if Steven Bartlett were interviewing someone like Brian Cox, the episode could be set in space, with various visual elements illustrating the scientist’s points. Likewise, if he were talking to an MMA fighter, the interview could take place in a digital octagon.
Podcasts are going nowhere, and they will continue to attract new listeners every year. Now that the industry is so competitive, it could be ripe for innovation. It wouldn’t be surprising to see podcasters trying out new techniques that have worked in other areas of entertainment, or introducing new technology like VR.