Almost every test podcast industry in 2024 agrees on one point: chat podcasts are king. As a video popularity is growing (33 percent of U.S. podcast listeners prefer to consume this way), advertising spending is rising (estimated to $4 billion worldwide), and listenership continues to grow at 8 percent year-over-year, it is the chat format – in its combative, instructive form, and sometimes completely frivolous splendor – which constantly attracts people.
The ecosystem is luxurious and unpredictable. There are pillars that have become elements of culture: The Joe Rogan experience, Armchair expertAND Read it. Newer tariff, e.g I had it AND ShxtsnGigs (more on that later) has also gained a huge fan base. Other chat-casts such as Shay Shay Club, they seem to spark controversy with every release. “Katt Williams, please close the portal” – @out of date he recently joked on X, referring to the comedian’s joke guest appearance since January when he prophetically announced the year 2024: “All lies will be exposed.”
“That meeting – that relationship – is everything,” says Eric Eddings, vice president of audio at Kevin Hart’s media company, Hartbeat, of the bond that chat-casts are able to establish with listeners.
In 2014, Eddings was launched with Brittany Luse For colorful nerdsa weekly chat about pop culture, race, and current events (full disclosure: I appeared in an episode in 2017). After LosersEddings went to Gimlet Media, where he was a co-founder Nod (also with Luse) and produced for performances Not fulfilled AND Habitat before moving on to SiriusXM. Today, Eddings leads podcast development for Hartbeat. What was true of the medium when he started, he tells me, is still true today. On a recent video call, we discussed the state of the industry and its sometimes elaborate changes.
JASON PARHAM: Why have chat casts become so popular?
ERIC EDDINGS: There are several reasons. To put it simply: many companies wanted to find a way to invest less in programming. Narrative podcasts are very steep to create. They require a enormous initial investment, and then you try to figure out how to make them as successful as possible if they resonate with the audience. Many companies have had difficulty bringing these types of projects to market due to difficulties in the entertainment media industry.
So it’s a matter of money?
Chat-centric podcasts are a bit easier to test, market, and create on a weekly basis. You’ve seen a huge shift in that direction. These are macro influences. But this compact one also changes the conversation a bit.
How so?
Even though podcasts have been out for some time, you’ll notice that many more groups of people are starting to utilize podcasts in novel ways. There is greater knowledge of the medium. You’ve seen comedians, you’ve seen influential people. There was a trend at the beginning of the pandemic where people were saying, “Oh, we need to start a podcast.” Whereas now I think people have ideas or find people they want to collaborate with, and they see podcasts as a place to explore that. It’s a really versatile medium. Collaboration allows for experimentation. These types of experiments are much easier in a chat context because the conversation is the most essential thing.