Podcasting Predictions, Fears, and Hopes for 2016

Several podcasters share expectations, concerns, and anticipations for podcasting in 2016.

Podcasting predictions for 2016

What do we expect will happen in podcasting this year?

Large companies will get into podcasting

Large media companies like Time Warner, Disney, etc. will get into creating (and possibly monetizing) content and creating networks

David LaFaire
The Unwritable Rant Podcast

This will be the year commercial radio embraces podcasting.

Seth Resler

  • More and more broadcast professionals moving into podcasting.
  • Big media companies (broadcast and otherwise) taking steps to establish themselves in the podcasting space.
  • Advertising companies changing their models to work with podcasts (like dynamic ad insertion in streaming episodes.)

Some people have misunderstood me and assumed I mean that podcasters must change. No, my real message is that podcasters need to introspectively evaluate their work and decide if the changing landscape mens they need to change. For some yes, for many no.

As a result of this infusion of professional interests, audience expectations of production values will increase. The bar will rise and the listenership of “ameteur” podcasts will drop. Ameteur means two guys in their basement talking about “whatever.”

Max Flight
Airplane Geeks

Consumers will become more discerning

In 2016 I believe that podcast listeners will be more discerning about what they listen to. They will not put up with fluff. They will cull their podcast subscriptions to those that add value to their work, faith, family and leisure life. More podcasters will quit than begin new podcasts. The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer in terms of how many people listen to their podcast.

Douglas Brauner
Praying With The Eyes podcast

Measurement standards will emerge

Motivated by ad agencies, industry-wide measures of listenership will emerge. Consistency of measurement will be more important than absolute accuracy. (Same as we now have in print media, TV/cable, and radio.)

Max Flight
Airplane Geeks

Some podcasts and companies will die

We see companies open and close all the time. Some companies grow while others crash.

SoundCloud will either go under or be sold to a private investment firm and retooled… either way, not viable for podcasters (no surprise).

David LaFaire
The Unwritable Rant Podcast

I expect to see more podfades as those of us who started on the wave of late 2014 consider keeping up the kind of work podcasting is indefinitely without the kinds of returns some thought we would get. (Not me, I knew this was a long and slow process and invaluable for my kids' education long term.)

Cheri
Creation Science 4 Kids

There will be more podcast-media-hosting competition

The Libsyn/Blubrry media hosting dominance will come under attack from new competitors. Most likely new entrant: Google, who, by the way, will use their voice recognition technology to index spoken word recordings.

Max Flight
Airplane Geeks

More international podcasters

I predict an increase in podcasting within the UK.  Most of this will be due to the increased availability of equipment and hosting solutions but also a net result of the “I can do that” effect as audiences grow. There will also be an increase in the area of comedy podcasts largely due to the relaxation of copyright controls regarding parody that has stifled this area for some time.

John Richardson
StarfleetComms

Consumption will shift from standalone apps to seamless experiences

The utility of podcast-specific apps will fade. Podcast subscriptions per listener will increase and nobody wants a dozen different interfaces.

Integrated podcast listening technologies will improve and offer a continuous listening experience regardless of device/vehicle/location.

Max Flight
Airplane Geeks

Podcast-awareness will increase more than usual

Since the creation of podcasting in 2004, the industry has seen steady growth in awareness. But with more major media focusing on or getting involved with podcasts, I think 2016 will see a more significant increase in consumer awareness and consumption of podcasts.

Podcasting fears for 2016

What things worry you about podcasting this year?

The government could impose regulations

There's always the chance the government will decide to become a major Big Brother in which case my whole online ministry vanishes overnight.

Cheri
Creation Science 4 Kids

Professional talent will diminish

I think we're right at the cusp of something new in the media industry. In my opinion some commercial radio stations are suffering a lack of creative investment. Many are being bought up, re-branded, watered down and used as advertising cash cows. The personality of these stations is slowly being eroded and the content is largely the same with some very notable exceptions in the UK and of those exceptions I count the BBC stations that are funded differently. My hope is that we, as podcasters, take that fear and turn it into an opportunity to make original and creative content. The fear is we don't take advantage of this quickly and effectively enough.

John Richardson
StarfleetComms

Highly acclaimed podcasters and companies will burnout

I think the over-hustling will yield a lot of burnout in the coming year. It could be from major networks, “overnight” successes, or big companies that overvalued or overspent.

Podcasting hopes for 2016

Expectations aside, what do you hope will happen in podcasting this year?

Listeners should be discerning

I hope that the listeners in 2016 will be discerning of content and and that there will be more dialog between podcasters and listeners.

Douglas Brauner
Praying With The Eyes podcast

Podcast-searching should be easier

I hope to see easier ways to search for podcasts by niche, not just keywords. A way to weed out the podfaded shows when I search by topic would be wonderful, too. It's not fun being beaten out by shows that uploaded last in 2009.

Cheri
Creation Science 4 Kids

Podcast-consumption should go mainstream

I hope that the value of podcasts is realised. By that I mean that while it's a popular medium it could be much more mainstream. I think that Google Play getting involved with podcasts will help with this as they'll offer that much needed “one stop shop” mainstream alternative to the iTunes ecosystem however I recognise this is not the only requirement to boost audiences in general. Quality (or lack thereof) can turn off audiences and I hope that we all find a way to continue to improve our podcast quality overall.

John Richardson
StarfleetComms

Standalone app creation should less expensive

A cheap way to get my own app on android would be awesome.

Cheri
Creation Science 4 Kids

Podcast media hosting should become more competitive

More podcast hosting firms enter the space to drive innovation and create more competition to reduce costs

David LaFaire
The Unwritable Rant Podcast

Audio/video technology should become more podcast-friendly

Audio companies creating partnerships (or done through innovation) to offer a professional grade podcast console that will create, capture, track, and mix all the various inputs for podcasting (auto ingest various input sources like XLR/USB/Skype/audio bridges/other computer sources, etc. Reduce the tech footprint.

David LaFaire
The Unwritable Rant Podcast

More independent podcasters should be recognized

Audience size is only one aspect of measuring a podcast's success, but influence is the best measurement. I would love to see more attention given to the individual podcasters with influence in small niches.

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    About the Author
    As an award-winning podcaster, Daniel J. Lewis gives you the guts and teaches you the tools to launch and improve your own podcasts for sharing your passions and finding success. Daniel creates resources for podcasters, such as the SEO for Podcasters and Zoom H6 for Podcasters courses, the Social Subscribe & Follow Icons plugin for WordPress, the My Podcast Reviews global-review aggregator, and the Podcasters' Society membership for podcasters. As a recognized authority and influencer in the podcasting industry, Daniel speaks on podcasting and hosts his own podcast about how to podcast. Daniel's other podcasts, a clean-comedy podcast, and the #1 unofficial podcast for ABC's hit drama Once Upon a Time, have also been nominated for multiple awards. Daniel and his son live near Cincinnati.
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    4 Comments
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    David LaFaire
    8 years ago

    Thanks allowing me to take part in the episode. Cheers

    Cheri Fields
    8 years ago

    Really appreciate the shout out! My kids were thrilled to have “Mr. Daniel” from their favorite podcast, The Ramen Noodle, mention their mom. God bless all your new and expanded endevours!

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