The last several years have seen the rising popularity of podcasts. Touted to be the digital make-over of the radio, these have many advantages that cannot be ignored, says Dushyantt Kohli

Currently, India is witnessing a digital revolution. A huge part of our country’s population is getting accustomed to the use of several digital platforms. Access to the internet has acted as a catalyst in this process. It has flooded the online platforms with a variety of content. Currently when an exceedingly large number of videos and written content is created and uploaded every day, the audio contents comprising podcasts, audiobooks, etc. are also rapidly gaining popularity and recognition. According to KPMG, India is the third-largest podcast-listening market globally and is expected to be valued at `17.62 crore by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 34.5 per cent.

Since the onset of the Coronavirus and subsequently during the pandemic-induced lockdown, the demand for Indian regional audio content has increased considerably. More and more people are opting for podcasts that offer regional content in regional languages, along with the national and global ones for wide-ranging purposes including entertainment and e-learning. This format has shown its potential to cater to the needs of India’s diverse population.

For aeons, listening has been a key element in the learning process. It enables us to visualise everything better based on the tone of voice as compared to written text. Listening also involves comparatively less effort than reading, thereby, contributing to an enhanced understanding with better attentiveness. Moreover, it is a known fact that people prefer listening to news and stories in their regional languages. It helps them process information seamlessly. As highlighted earlier, even podcasts are going the vernacular way to cater to the demand of a wide range of information. And this development is making them an integral part of people’s daily lives.

When compared to traditional formats such as radio, interactivity has also become a noteworthy feature of this digital advancement. Overall, it has made learning an easy and joyful experience.

Benefits of podcasts

There are numerous ways through which podcasts are able to fulfill the aspirations of the common masses. The contents available on podcasts are made to custom-fit the needs of people from different regions. The verbal presentation of information becomes easy to understand and consume. At the same time, the cost-effectiveness of podcasts is a boon. They are mainly in the form of digital files that can be downloaded or streamed easily over online platforms. Subscribing to high-quality audio content is also an option that users are preferring over reading these days.

Time-efficiency is possibly one of the best factors behind audio format’s rapidly growing use. For instance, the working population of our country, which spends a few hours travelling every day, can make productive use of that time by listening to some news or learning a new language via podcasts. This will enable them to stay updated while utilising their precious time, thereby, allowing them to keep pace with the fast-moving world. Being available remotely, such podcasts can be listened to anytime, anywhere and do not come with the limitation of location-specific traditional channels. They can also be tapped via various digital devices which is an added advantage. Furthermore, there are plenty of options available to choose from according to personalised listening needs such as educational content, inspirational content, news, audiobooks, entertainment based podcasts and a lot more. All these are adequate to provide enough options for one’s needs.

There are several other features of podcasts that improve and enhance the learning and listening experience of a person. The audio contents are so engaging that it has the potential to increase the concentration power of students. Educational material, using the audio-guided format, is known to pique the interest of students to the extent that even tough topics become relatively easy for them to understand. Today, with the increased use of smartphones, relevant podcasts can be conveniently downloaded and listened to. It is being widely adopted as a teaching and learning resource. A prime advantage that comes with the use of audio contents is that audio format also minimises the scope of visual impairment, which is a key challenge these days owing to increased exposure to digital devices. Therefore, learning through  listening should be encouraged even more.

In a nutshell, podcasts are a true gift of the digital revolution. They are giving time-tested formats such as radio their new digital makeover with the touch-of-a-button experience. It barely comes as a surprise that there is an increasing number of takers for podcasts across the world.

(The writer is the Coo of Khabri.)