Podcasting Growth in South Africa

Podcasting is creating a buzz around the world, is South Africa listening?

With global listenership estimated by one recent data report to have reached 546 million[1], podcasting has undoubtedly arrived as a force in mainstream media.

But has it arrived in South Africa?

Thanks to the easy accessibility offered by Spotify, Apple and web browsers like Google, all the popular podcasts from around the world are readily available for South Africans. Humorous conversations about life on Distractible, light-hearted interviews on The Joe Rogan Experience, and YouTubing stunts with Mr. Beast all rank high in the South African podcast charts. With news, political commentary, advice and true crime shows also very popular, South African listenership of podcasts is currently estimated to be around 3.2 million listeners. The increase in listeners has been impressive over the last couple of years but the projection is for an even greater jump to 4.8 million years by 2027.[2]

South Africans with internet access are now spending up to an hour a day listening to and/or watching podcasts. That’s up from an average of only five minutes a day in 2014.[3]

The reasons for the growth in the popularity of podcasts among South Africans are much the same as for the growth worldwide. The internet is more widely available and allows faster streaming or downloading than before. Smartphone technology has evolved to allow greater capacity for apps and the platforms that podcasts operate from have made accessibility simple.

Add to that an explosion in the variety of content and the fact that podcasts can be listened to pretty much anywhere, and it’s no surprise that South Africa’s interest has grown and looks set to grow further.

Will South Africa be a leader in podcasting or just a follower?

Podcasting began in the USA which still has the greatest listening population but there has been rapid adoption across the world with China, Brazil, Mexico and India now having millions of followers. That seems an obvious development. If growth is based on the volume of listeners, then the countries with the highest populations will have the greatest number of listeners.

That doesn’t tell the whole story though. Growth isn’t just about the number of listeners, it’s about the level of engagement. How long do regular podcast listeners spend each week listening to podcasts?

Here’s the shock news.

With 68% of regular podcaster listeners spending at least an hour or more each week listening, South Africa is leading the world.

Perhaps even more importantly South Africa is not just listening to the ‘big follower numbers’ of global shows, they are listening and watching homemade material.

While the podcast genres and podcast formats are much the same globally, a look at South Africa’s podcast charts reveals a healthy mix of international and local fare. In fact, on balance, local listenership to local podcasts is higher. And it seems to be local that’s growing faster.

South Africans are good listeners and now we’re also walking the talk.

South Africa has the highest rate of podcast listening of all global markets

The growing success of South African podcasting.

With 90% ownership of smartphones in metropolitan areas and some 58% countrywide, South Africans are increasingly consuming the on-demand content that podcasts provide.[1] The variety of content available continues to expand. South Africa’s most listened to (and watched; YouTube video podcasting is also growing), homegrown podcasts include comedy, health, business, True Crime series, society and culture, political commentary, music shows and educational episodes.

Let’s look at a couple of examples.

We won’t include Trevor Noah’s What Now? Podcast. He might be a local, but his worldwide fame makes his podcast firmly a global one.

Vusi Thembekwayo is an entrepreneur, author, venture capitalist and well-known key-note speaker from Johannesburg[1]. Vusi has successfully translated his speaking engagement talents and his personal business experience into a podcast entitled, Ideas That Matter, recently in South Africa’s top ten most popular podcasts.

Discussion about investment and business issues locally is a heavily contested territory in the South African podosphere. Still, Vusi gained a growing following with a style that takes a very human and personal perspective with topics that include love and fear as well as wealth.

True Crime South Africa might seem an odd example at first but at (on the last check) number 6 in South Africa’s most popular podcasts charts,[1] it is hard to ignore. It’s another example of a worldwide fascination with a genre (real crime series account for a quarter of all English language podcasts according to Statista[2]), that translates well into a a podcast series with local relevance. The host, Nicole Engelbrecht, creates her own format, researches cases herself and allows listeners a deeper understanding of the feelings and experiences of the victims of crime. To give a better idea of the level of interest in this genre it’s worth noting that at number 7 in the same chart is Alibi, another investigative true crime series.

Podcast and Chill with MacG delivers comedic conversation, interviews and comedy in a way that perhaps only South Africans can understand. It’s also a good example of how podcasting experience can translate to a video format. Host MacGyver Mukwevho, alongside co-hosts Sol Phenduka and ‘the enigmatic Ghost Lady’, made their show the leading urban podcast on YouTube two years ago. It’s also an example of how a podcast can actively promote sales of a brand with MacG launching his own ‘Chillers Market’ platform. Podcast and Chill often hits a million listeners in a single episode.

Business Talk with Michael Avery is South Africa’s largest online business podcast. Although sponsored by EY (the rebranded Ernst and Young), the podcast is actually a marketing initiative from Business Tech. The crossover of traditional news outlets into podcasting makes perfect sense. In this case, it allows a much more personal type of engagement with acknowledged business experts who provide insights into the latest business trends, opportunities and challenges. Being featured on Business Talk gives South African businesses a way to enhance their business reputation.

Wisdom and Wellness with Mpooomy Ledwaba discusses wellness topics and life navigation with people from diverse backgrounds Mpoomy, CEO and Founder of the Wisdom and Wellness business, has successfully created a community around holistic well-being that ties her brand and associated products in with her podcast. In this case, her listeners are very definitely ‘followers’.

These success stories have one simple thing in common. They make things personal.

Whatever want or need they provide, they do it in a very personal way. They discuss not tell. They converse not sell. They inform, but not in a lecturing style. They listen to feedback. Even the comedy feels like it’s sharing a joke instead of telling a joke.

Whether a business podcast fronted by a person or a podcast by an individual, these people provide relatable useful content. They feel ‘authentic’.

What’s the future for South African podcasting?

Continued growth in listener figures seems certain with the projection of 4.8 million listeners by 2027 probably a conservative estimate. The last couple of years have already seen the range of different subject matters expand at pace. Globally popular genres have been successfully adapted to fulfil uniquely South African interests. As new entrepreneurs and ‘personalities’ become more interested in podcasting we can anticipate that new themes and topics will be explored and offered to the population at large.

As popularity rises businesses and brands will inevitably find new ways to capitalize on podcast audiences. Advertisers are slowly realizing that because podcasts are niched in terms of content it is easy to identify which podcasts will reach their target markets, making podcast advertising a good value use of marketing budget. Statista estimates the podcast advertising budget for 2024 to be around 6.4 million USD[1]

Another area of potential growth is the simple fact that South Africa, having 11 official languages, can see the development of shows that meet the needs of all the different language groups. While community radio is strong, it perhaps can’t offer the level of ‘personal’ content that podcasting can achieve. Epokothweni (in the pocket in Xhosa) and iLukuluku (curiosity in Zulu), are two current examples of indigenous language podcasters using the platform in socio-culturally relevant ways.

Given the ease of setting up a podcast, we can anticipate that many businesses and individuals will attempt podcasting on their own. Here’s some FYI on DIY. No matter how great a podcast it is simply whispering in the wind if it doesn’t have an audience. To be successful means knowing how to add value to your podcast and above all how to grow an audience.

Explore the rise of podcasting

Creating a podcast in South Africa