This is the reach of the top 5 Radio/ Podcast Apps in India — all under 1%.
In a country chronically addicted to entertainment in all its forms, Podcasts/ Radio as a medium is doing phenomenally badly. This is a space waiting to exhale. I would’ve imagined that we’d lap up news podcasts like we lap up the ‘debates’ on TV news stations. But this data suggests otherwise.
My guess is this:
The population of users that truly appreciate great audio content is small and represented here. These users can also get their fill of great audio programs on Apps like Sound Cloud that host content by publishers ranging from AIR to Monocle.
The second set of users are the ones in the small towns and villages. Many of them are still on feature phones and when they do listen to the radio, it’s on a radio set.
I personally enjoy listening to the news while I’m driving or running but I understand that I am probably the exception rather than the rule. When people graduate to a smartphone, the visual element of content becomes all important. Why would you listen to a talk show when you can watch the news?
Most people are like these luminaries:
A part of me also feels like no one has really taken a real shot at a great podcast. If you could get your daily news bulletin, real opinions, and high-quality discussions on one platform — I’m sure there’s a space for that. Sometimes you just have to show people what they are missing.
Per me, the news space is still exciting and full of opportunities. The business models we are seeing today are simply the first versions of a space still open to disruption. In media — distribution matters but so does great content — and that is a void still waiting to be filled.
Thanks for your time,
Ashish
- Team KG
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You can reach me on ashish@kalagato.com
