What Equipment Do I Actually Need to Start a Podcast?
4 March 2026
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The question is deceptively simple. The answer, research suggests, is not what the gear guides want you to believe.
From Commutes to Home: At-home listening now accounts for 67% of all podcast time. Car-based listening has dropped to just 11%.
Listening Throughout the Day: 10 AM–2 PM is now the most popular time slot, not the early-morning commute.
Rise of Video Podcasting & YouTube: 75% of consumers engage with podcast videos. YouTube is the #1 platform.
Platform Shake-Up: YouTube leads with 33%, followed by Spotify (26%) and Apple Podcasts (14%).
Broader & More Engaged Audience: Monthly listenership has doubled since 2018, and listeners are now more age- and gender-diverse, with high completion rates.
Not so long ago, I used to treat podcasts like the audio version of a cigarette break—stolen moments between meetings, something to keep me company on the long road between Pretoria and Joburg, or a reward after a yoga session. Podcasting felt like a personal, private affair, tucked into the folds of daily life.
Fast forward to 2025, and the way we listen has morphed into something entirely different. The commute is no longer king. YouTube has elbowed its way to the top of the podcasting food chain. And (as I blushingly had to confess last week) I find myself watching podcasts in the lounge, the same way my parents used to gather around the television for 7pm news.
So what happened?
Let’s have an in-depth look at how podcast consumption has changed over the last few years, and why these shifts matter for creators, listeners, and anyone with a microphone and a story to tell.
There was a time (roughly between 2015 and 2019) when “prime time” for podcasts meant one thing: the commute. Whether you were dodging taxis on the N1 or wedged between strangers on a packed Gautrain, podcasts were our audio escape hatch.
Then the world changed.
By the end of 2024, Edison Research reported that a whopping 67% of podcast listening happens at home. That’s more than double the listening that happens in the car (11%) or at work (16%) combined. Let that sink in. What used to be background noise for traffic jams is now soundtrack to folding laundry, cooking dinner, and walking the dog.
I’m not saying the car is dead. Some of Ethan‘s best podcast epiphanies still happen on the road. But the car is no longer the podcast throne it once was. Hybrid work, remote jobs, and home-based routines have redrawn the audio map.
We’re not squeezing podcasts into the gaps anymore. We’re building them into the fabric of our day.
You’d think the early bird still catches the podcast, right?
Not quite.
According to Edison’s data, the new golden hours are 10 AM to 2 PM, meaning late morning to early afternoon, which accounts for 26% of daily podcast listening. That slightly edges out the traditional pre-10 AM slot, which holds 25%.
What does that mean in practice? Well, these days I’m far more likely to tune into The Daily while making lunch than while brushing my teeth. The classic 5 AM release slot (once gospel for publishers) is no longer the guaranteed sweet spot.
And evenings? They’re catching up. Afternoons (2–6 PM) make up 21% of listening, evenings (6–10 PM) take 15%, and even the night owls are showing up, with 11% of listening happening after 10 PM.
Podcasting has become an all-day affair, not just something we squeeze between meetings or errands. It’s the soundtrack of our multitasking lives.
Let’s talk about how we listen.
If you picture someone sitting quietly with headphones, eyes closed, reverently absorbing every word, then you may be watching a wellness retreat promo. In real life, 81% of podcast listeners say they listen while doing something else: chores, cooking, jogging, pretending to pay attention in Zoom meetings. (Guilty.)
70% say they regularly listen while doing housework.
It’s not passive listening, though. It’s companionship. Podcasts have become the modern version of talk radio in the kitchen. Except now, we choose the voices we want to hear.
And because so much listening now happens at home, devices have diversified too. It’s no longer just phones and earbuds. We’re talking smart speakers, connected TVs, even laptop speakers while cooking dinner. More than ever, podcasting is moving off our bodies and into our living rooms.
Here’s a sentence I never expected to write five years ago: YouTube is now the world’s top podcast platform.
Let that sink in.
According to Edison and Signal Hill data, about 33% of U.S. podcast listeners say they listen most often via YouTube. That’s way ahead of Spotify (26%) and Apple Podcasts (14%). For comparison, back in early 2023, Apple still held 39% of the market. And in 2018? YouTube wasn’t even considered a podcast platform.
Now, it’s king.
Why? Two reasons: discovery and video.
YouTube’s algorithm is relentless. You watch a clip, and suddenly your entire feed is serving podcast snippets, full episodes, and reaction content. 44% of listeners say they discovered a new show on YouTube in the past six months. And with video versions everywhere (from charismatic hosts to true-crime evidence montages) it’s become the podcast supermarket.
What’s even more interesting is how people use it. Three-quarters of podcast listeners have played podcast videos on YouTube. Many don’t actually “watch” them; they hit play and minimize the screen while they clean the house or work. But for others, video adds something: body language, visual cues, or simply a more intimate connection to the hosts.
Even Spotify’s gotten the memo, now hosting over 250,000 video podcasts. Apple? Still mostly audio. But the landscape has changed. The new listener expects options — watch, listen, or both.
In 2018, podcasting was still a bit of a club. It skewed young, male, and tech-savvy.
Not anymore.
55% of Americans now listen to podcasts monthly, more than double 2018’s 26%.
38% of adults aged 55+ listen monthly — a dramatic increase from just 17% in 2018.
Women have caught up: 52% of women and 57% of men have listened in the past year.
Podcasts are no longer a young man’s game. True crime shows, storytelling podcasts, educational series have all pulled in a much wider and more diverse audience. Even Ouma might be tuning in to a retirement planning podcast while knitting.
And this audience isn’t just growing, it’s committed.
The average weekly listener spends about 7 hours a week on podcasts. Around 80% say they listen to most or all of each episode. That’s miles ahead of video or social media scroll-through rates. Podcasts still hold our attention like few other media forms do.
So what do we do with all this?
If you’re a podcaster, the message is clear: the rules have changed.
Don’t count on morning commute drops. Think about midday and evening release windows.
If you’re not on YouTube, you’re missing out on discovery.
Video matters, even if it’s a simple static visual or webcam setup.
Think ambient. Many listeners aren’t glued to the screen, but they are tuned in.
Your audience is more diverse than ever. Speak to them. All of them.
And if you’re a business, brand, or storyteller looking to reach people where they really are? This is your moment. Podcasting in 2025 is not just a medium, it’s a media ecosystem. It’s where work-from-home parents, students, gym-goers, and retirees alike go to learn, laugh, and connect.
Podcasting has moved out of the car and into the home. It’s climbed off the RSS feed and onto YouTube. It’s broken out of niche categories and found its way into nearly every demographic. And it shows no sign of slowing.
The future of podcasting isn’t just about sound. It’s about presence.
Being where your audience is. Speaking their language. And showing up, whether in their earbuds, their browser, or on the big screen in their lounge.
In 2025, podcasting isn’t just heard. It’s seen, felt, and woven into our everyday lives.
And that’s something worth listening to.
Your voice is your brand. Your podcast should sound like it.
We help creators, coaches, and businesses make shows that stand out – for the right reasons.
Book a free consultation and let’s build something powerful.
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