By Sylvia Carr, 4 April 2005 13:50
NEWS The relatively new practice of 'podcasting' is taking hold in the US, according to a recent survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
Nearly a third of US adults who own iPods or other types of MP3 players have downloaded podcasts - audio broadcasts, such as radio shows, available on the web which can be downloaded to a computer and then transferred onto a portable audio device.
Young people are leading the way in the adoption of podcasting - a term which comes from combining the words 'iPod' and 'broadcasting'. Nearly half of the 18 to 28-year-olds surveyed who own MP3 players have listened to podcasts compared to 20 per cent of those over 29.
Yet the speed of one's internet connection appears to have little influence on the phenomenon. About 33 per cent of MP3 player owners with broadband have downloaded podcasts compared with 28 per cent of dial-up users.
The findings are based on a recent survey of 2,201 adults living in the US by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Comments
There are 6 comments. Join the discussion
1. Atlant G. Schmidt
Once again, it shows how iPods are shifting the paradigms.
2. Stefan Smith
"Third of US iPod owners now podcasting"
Nope.
"One third of US iPod owners now listening to podcasts"
Much more likely.
3. Seán Dillon
Like there wasn't an MP3 player before the iPOD?
This is NOT Apple 'shifting paradigms' as one person puts it, it's simply an extension of what's been done for years, taping the radio and listening later. I've still got plenty of tapes of John Peel in the 80's... back then it wasn't alled 'tapecasting'.
This is simply Apple doing what it always does. Stealing ideas and somehow thinking they've come up with them. It's a pity people can;t see that for the marketing hype that it is.
4. anonymous
"Shifting the paradigm"? Smirk, yeah whatever!
Podcasting is just AvantGo for people who can't read.
Just because something is given a new trendy name doesn't mean it hasn't been about for years.
Why all the excitment about something so simple? Its just more web hype.
5. Don Tregartha
Time for UK content owners to wake up and get involved.
Podcasting is popular here in the UK but most podcasts are US based in content, which is great if you are into that sort of thing.
The venerable (and in part paid for by me) BBC have one podcast - Melvyn Braggs's In our time, which is ideally suited to the medium - some of us mortals have to rewind and listen to its arguments a couple of times to get our heads round the subject. The BBC venture is just a trial, so probably the whole thing will get canned by short sighted managers who can'tt see how appropriate the medium is for intelligent spoken word content and not just american comedy shows.
BTW - I'm a big fan of itunes, but why no BBC channels on the radio?
6. anonymous
What is the difference between all this and copying a radio programme onto a cassette and listening to it on a personal stereo?