Could the podcast be a UFO in the world of culture? It is essential in French practices, but remains economically fragile. Its audiences have never reached such heights (37% of French people listen to it every month, according to the latest CSA barometer published in mid-October). “Native” podcasts (which are not intended to be first broadcast on the airwaves) now garner more than twenty million listens each month.
This media, which unabashedly addresses themes such as incest, inequalities between men and women, mental health or ecological emergency, is winning over new profiles, such as women and 50-64 year olds. While catch-up radio broadcasts still remain largely in the majority, four native podcasts exceeded one million downloads in September.
Arte was a pioneer by starting very early, in 2002. But these programs only really gained momentum around fifteen years later, in the wake of the #metoo movement. “They take up social issues not addressed elsewhere and question areas of expression that make us better”says Thibaut de Saint-Maurice, research assistant in philosophy at Paris-I Panthéon-Sorbonne University and general delegate of the Paris Podcast Festival, which ended in mid-October.
He is full of praise for this media, which offers a real “information pluralism” and allows “popular education”. In the eyes of this expert, “the issue of podcasting is political (…). Democracy is not strong enough to deprive itself of such a tool of nuance and moderation. » A point of reference in a digital world overloaded with images?
At a time when everyone is complaining about the brainwashing caused by social networks, the podcast embodies, according to him, “long time”. A third of French people listen to it for more than thirty minutes, according to the CSA study. For 88% of listeners, it is a medium in which they really ” trust “, far ahead of all its competitors. Not to mention that its followers are 81% capable of changing their mind or outlook after listening to it.
Financial aid of up to 5,000 euros per project
However, difficulties are piling up for this emerging sector. Spotify’s about-face, after prosperous years during which the platform invested massively in this sector by signing huge contracts with American celebrities, is being felt heavily. The Swedish group announced at the beginning of June the layoffs of around 200 employees in its podcast activities, or 2% of its global workforce, after an initial cut of 600 positions at the start of the year. This windfall which made it possible to finance exclusive programs for Spotify in France has therefore also dried up.
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