Does the podcast see, like other media, surge its audiences with containment measures? No, if we believe the data from the company Podtrack for the American market. The latter observed a decrease of 10% in downloads and 8% in audiences since the introduction of social distancing measures. And for good reason: with the generalization of telework, the transport times, popular for listening to podcasts, have disappeared ... Certain types of programs suffer, and in the first place those on crimes ( true crime ). Popular in normal times, they are too anxiety-provoking for the period. In one week, their audiences plunged by 30%.
French production studios have also noted this air gap. "The first week of confinement, our audiences dropped by 20%," says Joël Ronez, co-founder of Binge Audio. Same decline observed at Louie Media. "But since then, the trend has reversed," says co-founder Charlotte Pudlowski. "It took time for people to reorganize their daily lives and find their mark." Louie Media says its audiences increased 30% from February. Nouvelles Écoutes claims a 14% increase in listenings every week. "March will be our best historic month , " says co-founder Julien Neuville.
Reinforced production linked to current events
If the audiences are there, the work of these young companies was turned upside down. You cannot use the recording studios or take sound recording outdoors while the confinement lasts. All therefore juggle their stocks of non-broadcast programs. "We have enough to hold out until the end of April," says Joël Ronez. "It is essential to stay active and maintain the link with our listeners." In addition to its new ones, Nouvelles Ecoutes re-broadcasts programs on the public hospital or mental load, which it deems relevant in the light of current events. The three studios have also adapted some of their programs. “Our Bouffons culinary podcast offers a shorter special edition every week, Bouffons de la resource , which talks about our relationship with the kitchen during confinement,” explains Julien Neuville.
The logic is similar at Louie Media, which has reinforced the publications of its podcasts around work ( Work in progress ), emotions ( Emotions ) and books ( the Book Club ). These shorter episodes - sometimes less than 5 minutes - use screen interviews and the sending of "voice notes" from witnesses. "We have sent microphones and recorders to all the presenters, and our engineers are working to ensure that the sound remains of good quality", underlines Mélissa Bounoua, co-founder of the studio. Other programs, conversely, are suspended and launches of new podcasts postponed until later.
Sponsorship stopped, brand content frozen
Rising audiences, more activity: podcast studios are experiencing the same situation as many media. But they also share the negative side of the situation: the collapse of their income, linked to advertisers. "It's a quarter of turnover that will fly," said the co-founder of Binge Audio. "Almost all of the show's sponsorship campaigns have stopped," said Katia Sanerot, general manager of Louie Media. "We work with our advertisers on a case-by-case basis to explain that audio remains a valuable way to stay in touch with their customers and prepare for the future." "Even those who are not affected by the crisis do not want to advertise currently," laments Julien Neuville.
Brand content, the main source of income for these studios, is also coming to a halt. At best, these white label programs for advertisers are being edited and mixed. "But ongoing projects are on hold because we can no longer record," continues the co-founder of Nouvelles Écoutes. "This turnover will be shifted, which can cause working capital problems" , bounces Joël Ronez. Certain contracts, notably linked to events that cannot be held, are canceled. "We are affected financially, and it will take time before regaining our pre-crisis turnover , " says Julien Neuville. “This shows that podcast studios need to diversify. Our business model cannot rest almost exclusively on advertisers. ”
2020 was to be a year of development for Louie Media, which had just raised 500,000 euros. "Instead, we will slow down and consolidate," says Katia Sanerot. Joël Ronez says, “don't be worried. Obviously it will rock, but we can hold out, especially thanks to state aid for businesses. And we are also fortunate to have a minority shareholder who shows solidarity [Les Echos-Le Parisien, editor's note]. ”
