Why will the French be listening to podcasts in 2025?

Podcasts have become a mainstay of the French media landscape. According to the latest ACPM and Médiamétrie studies, almost one French person in two (47%) listens to podcasts regularly, whether native or replay. Every month, more than 140 million listens or downloads are recorded, representing a steady increase over the past five years. On average, a French listener listens to almost 17 podcasts a month.

Far from being just a fad, podcasts have become a real listening reflex. But why this craze? What does this audio format offer that other media no longer do?

Key figures for podcasting in France

A slowly fading radio

Since 2018, FM radio stations have lost over 3 million listeners. Yet 82% of French people still consume audio content every day. The difference? It's no longer on the FM band, but online.

Today, digital listening is divided into three main formats:

• music streaming,
• radio on demand,
• and above all, the podcast.

The explosion of native podcasts

Native podcasts - those designed exclusively for digital use - are experiencing the most spectacular growth. By 2025, over 42% of French people will be listening to at least one native podcast every week, compared with 33% in 2021. This meteoric rise reflects a profound change in usage: audio can now be listened to whenever, wherever, without the constraints of traditional program schedules.

Who are the French who listen to podcasts?

Young and urban

The average age of a podcast listener in France is 38. Nearly 60% of listeners are under 35, and Generation Z is the most engaged. These young listeners find podcasts a free, intimate medium that often breaks with the codes of television and social networks.

Executives in search of inspiration

CSP+ and senior executives are over-represented among listeners: around 27% of them listen to podcasts every week. They look to this format as a way of learning, training or getting information in a different way, often during their commute or daily activities.

Families converted to audio

Another striking trend: almost 60% of households with children listen to podcasts. Audio is seen as a healthy alternative to screens, particularly for introducing younger children to new narrative or educational formats.

4 reasons for the podcast boom

1. The need for autonomy

Watching a video, reading an article or scrolling through the Internet requires all our visual attention. Podcasts, on the other hand, free the hands and the mind. You can listen to it in the car, on the subway, while running or cooking. This freedom of listening makes it an everyday companion.

Unlike radio, listeners choose their content: they can pause, rewind or listen later. Podcasts adapt to the rhythm of life, not the other way round.

2. The need for authenticity

The French aspire to truer, more embodied content. In a world saturated with smooth images and posts calibrated for algorithms, the voice creates a sincere link.

62% of 18-24 year-olds say that audio gives them a more immersive experience than any other medium (YouGov, 2024). The tone, the silences, the breath of a guest: these are all elements that humanize communication.

It's this authenticity that brands are looking for, and more and more of them are calling on podcast agencies to produce powerful, credible narratives, far removed from traditional advertising pitches.

3. The need to learn

Podcasts have established themselves as a tool for information and culture. According to the Acast 2024 study, 45% of French people listen to podcasts primarily for information. The most popular themes: society, news, culture and personal development.

Listeners want to understand the world, develop their skills or broaden their vision. 84% feel that podcasts shed new light on social issues, and 74% say they have already changed their opinion after listening to an episode.

For many, podcasts are a form of continuing education, accessible and inspiring, which podcast agencies today know how to structure through educational and immersive formats.

4. The need for well-being

Since the pandemic, our relationship with audio has changed. For many, listening to a podcast has become a ritual of relaxation or refocusing.

The figures speak for themselves:

• 70% of millennials and 62% of Generation Z use audio to relieve stress (Spotify Culture Next, 2024).
• Mental health -related wiretaps have soared by 300% since 2020.
• 82% of listeners say that podcasts help them refocus, and 86% believe that they promote social interaction.

The podcast thus becomes a place of balance, of pause, even of gentle therapy - a breath of fresh air in a daily life saturated with screens.

The growing role of podcast agencies

In 2025, the rise of the format has led to the emergence of true podcast agencies, specializing in the design, production and distribution of customized audio content.

These agencies support brands in :

• defining an audio editorial strategy,
• technical production (writing, recording, editing),
• multi-channel distribution on Spotify, Deezer or YouTube,
• and promoting the podcast through social networks and SEO.

Working with a podcast agency means transforming a simple audio format into a genuine brand communication lever, capable of boosting awareness, trust and commitment.

In conclusion

The success of podcasts in France rests on three pillars: freedom, authenticity and emotion. In 2025, it's no longer just an alternative medium: it's becoming a pillar of content strategy for brands and institutions.

And behind every successful audio project, there's often a podcast agency shaping a brand's voice, tone and sonic universe to create a lasting bond with its audiences.