One of the rising media channels in recent years is podcasting. This audio blogging platform started in the early 2000s, so it has a short history, but it has gone so popular that you won’t believe they haven’t been here for a long time. If you’re curious about how it all began, here are some interesting facts you should know about podcasts.
1. Twitter Was Created Because of a Failed Podcast Platform
Before Twitter was created, Evan Williams, one of the co-founders of the popular microblogging network and a developer of Blogger, tried to develop a podcasting platform. He called it Odeo. It was supposed to be a speech-to-podcast converter. However, the project struggled and failed, so Williams and the rest of the team decided to start something new.
2. Sweden Is the Top Country in Terms of Podcast Consumption
Sweden is the number one country in the world regarding podcast consumption. Out of all the respondents, 47 percent claim they listened to a podcast at least once in 12 months. Sweden has a 25% podcast audience share and is followed by Ireland and Brazil.
3. British Comedian Ricky Gervais Helped in Popularizing Podcasts
In 2005, the British comedian Ricky Gervais hosted the original podcast channel called The Ricky Gervais Show. During its first month, the show enjoyed over 260,000 downloads a week. In fact, The Ricky Gervais Show is cemented as the most-downloaded podcast in 2007 in no less than the Guinness Book of World Records.
4. Microsoft Wasn’t Happy That the iPod Inspired the Name Podcast
When Apple introduced the iPod in the early 2000s, one of its main features was its ability to download podcasts. The name of this feature was Podcast. However, Microsoft didn’t like that the new technology was now associated with their rival. The Redmond-based company tried to make “blogcasting” mainstream, but the term “podcast” stuck more.
5. Truckin by The Grateful Dead Is One of the First Podcasts with an MP3 Feature
According to various sources, Truckin by The Grateful Dead was one of the first podcasts that you could download from the Internet. One of the pioneers of podcasting, Dave Winer, discovered how to aggregate MP3 files into RSS. And the first MP3 played was Truckin.
6. People Spend an Average of Six Hours a Week Listening to Podcasts
There are several reasons why people listen to podcasts. Some use it to learn about new things, keep themselves entertained, or stay in touch with the latest news. According to a study conducted by Edison Research, the average American spends about six hours a week listening to podcasts. The same research shows that a typical podcast listener listens to five episodes a week.
Final Thoughts
Podcasts are a great way to learn new things, expand your knowledge, gain more information about the news, and spend some time with friends and family. Many popular podcasts are simply incredible, and they are one of the reasons why the podcasting industry is on the rise.
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