Last year Spanish language podcasts hosted on Voxnest grew 13% – a substantial figure and one which we expect to grow even further in 2019. Why? It’s as simple as this: the audience is huge and it’s continuing to grow. The number of US residents who speak Spanish at home has grown 133.4% since 1990 and Latin America has a population of 640 million – these are impossibly huge numbers.
However, apart from the data there are also three important developments and trends which we believe will help accelerate growth even further.
1. More High-Quality and Easily Discoverable Non-English Content
The healthy growth of any new media type requires a degree of professionalization. For podcasting, this means elevating the caliber of both content and production, which often comes from the involvement of larger media organizations. Radio Ambulante’s distribution through NPR and reVolver’s content development partnership with Univision are the types of relationships that will bring Spanish-language podcasts to the forefront.
2. Established Companies Entering New Markets
Similar to the impact of more professional content, a single big player entering a new market can be the catalyst needed to grow the industry. The expansion to Latin America by both Deezer and Spotify will increase awareness of podcasting among these populations, resulting in more listeners and more content.
3. Increasing interest from Brands and Advertisers
The ability to drive ROI from content has been a challenge to digital media of all types. So when a large media company like PRISA Group gets involved, it can be the proof point that other organizations need in order to get on board. We expect the podcast launched by PRISA Radio and toy maker Fisher-Price will catalyze other content partnerships and bring new attention and funding into the industry.
This information was taken from our recently published State of the Podcast Universe report. To get a complete overview of the trends for 2019, download the report below. And, if you’re Spanish speaking and thinking of starting a podcast, don’t hesitate to contact us – we’d be more than happy to support you in starting your show.
