It is a phenomenon that grows and in which more and more is invested. Some 620 million people listen to podcasts around the world, and most do so with the goal of learning something new. Millennials and centennials choose it over traditional media. Where is the “podcast revolution” going in Argentina? How have the listening habits of audiences changed? Juan Belli, founder and CEO of “Interés General”, one of the leading podcast production companies and channels in Argentina, assures: “The podcast is an increasingly popular audio format because it offers personalized content for information, learning, entertainment or relaxation. ”.
Juan, how do you see the podcast phenomenon Worldwide?
Audio is at a time of unprecedented growth. From WhatsApp messages to podcasts and even audiobooks. We are in a time where we do several things at the same time and, in that sense, audio is the only medium that we can consume while doing another activity, such as driving, cooking, exercising, etc. In turn, within the digital culture in which we are immersed, a turn is visualized: That of the return to the sound, as if among so many stimuli we needed to return to a certain intimacy and family atmosphere. Every day we receive hundreds of messages, emails, photos and videos. And in the podcast one can find a climate of tranquility in which to immerse oneself.
In that sense, all this audio “boom” means that the podcasting industry continues to grow and still hasn’t reached its peak. In a way, it’s the same thing that happened with streaming video, which forever changed our consumption of what we watched on TV. The audio is turning to on-demand, as happened with the audiovisual. We see this not only with audience growth, but also with investment in advertising. In 2017, 314 million dollars had been invested; in 2020 billion dollars, and this year they projected 2 billion dollars invested in podcast advertising. On the other hand, in addition to the content published on the platforms, many companies are betting on the podcast for internal dissemination or to generate their own content.
How do you analyze the panorama of this format in our country?
In Argentina the phenomenon is just beginning to take off. We are still in the stage of producing for others, whether for companies or platforms. So there is quite a way to go. I believe that the future will consist of having our own quality content. It is important to see how the level of podcast audience grows month by month in our country and how people learn with podcasts, have fun, reflect and meditate. According to IBOPE, the same company that measures radio and television audiences, one and a half million people listened to at least one podcast in Argentina during the last month.
How was the production company and the podcast channel “Interés General” born?
When I was Director of Content for Radio Continental, I witnessed how Prisa launched the first Spanish-speaking podcast channel: Podium Podcast. A very serious job was done and with a lot of information about what had been happening in the United States. There I observed that the podcast was an unavoidable format.
Towards the end of 2019, podcasts in Argentina were clippings from radio programs or very long conversations on very specific topics. That is why we thought of something differential. Native podcast, on topics of general interest and of five minutes. In this way we differentiated ourselves from the competition and also demanded less effort from the listener. In five minutes one can go to the supermarket, take a short car trip, heat up food, set the table, etc. Once a listener told us that she went running and that she knew that each General Interest podcast was a kilometer.
We started with two weekly podcasts, then five and now we have about nine weekly content, as well as miniseries on a wide variety of topics.
In addition to our channel, which has more than one and a half million views, we make productions for companies, whether they are public or institutional channels such as pieces of internal communication and employer branding. We are convinced that we have to offer quality products for an audience that is more demanding and that today has everything within its reach.
Contact information:
Mail: [email protected]
by CEDOC