On today's episode, we discuss Spotify's Q3 earnings, the company's growing ad business, and the viability of video podcasts. We then talk about Amazon building a new music-centric live audio app and who is winning the gaming platform war. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Peter Vahle.

Spotify has the most users among digital audio platforms, followed by Pandora, Amazon Music, and Apple Music. Amazon will surpass Pandora in listeners next year.

At the heart of Amazon's flywheel is Amazon Prime—a subscription service that includes a wide variety of perks such as discounts on select items, expedited shipping, and online videos, games, and music, to name a few.

This was partially because of the removal of Google Play Music from the list of streaming services respondents were asked about. Yet time spent each day with music streaming remained high at 2:12. More internet users watched digital video—both free and paid-for—than live TV in H1 2021. Penetration of live TV was virtually unchanged YoY at 88.3%.

Less than 80% of respondents polled in South Africa in H1 2021 had streamed music or other audio content in the month prior—an incremental decline since H1 2020. For the first time, though, music streaming alone claimed more than 2 hours per day on average. Traditional media experienced mixed fortunes in Q1 2021.

Time spent daily with broadcast radio rose by 2 minutes year over year (YoY) to 1:12, but the average time spent with music streaming leapt from 1:23 to 1:40. Similarly, the reach of digital video has surpassed that of traditional TV. Live TV posted a minimal decrease in reach compared with H1 2020, to 86.9% of those surveyed.

Russia’s digital audio audience is also arguably underdeveloped, as just 42.7% of internet users listened to music, podcasts, audiobooks, or other digital content in the prior month. And time spent with music streaming specifically was unchanged YoY, at 48 minutes per day on average.

And as in H1 2020, nearly 92% of respondents listened to digital audio, such as music or podcasts, and devoted 1:27 daily to music streaming. Broadcast radio is less widespread in China than in most other countries. In H1 2021, just 46.8% of internet users had tuned in to live radio programs in the prior month. Time spent with those shows had risen, though, from 1:08 to 1:13 per day, on average.

(This is partially attributable to GWI removing Google Play Music from the list of services in its digital audio category, because the service was discontinued.) The youngest cohort recorded a significant decline but still posted above-average engagement with music streaming, audiobooks, and other digital audio content at 68.3%.

Time spent each day with music streaming had risen by 7 minutes, to 1:04 on average. Podcasts also claimed more time this year, at 30 minutes daily versus 21 minutes in 2020. Traditional audio broadcasters reached a wider public.

Yet nearly 71% of respondents had recently streamed music or accessed podcasts or other audio content from digital sources. And time spent with broadcast radio—an average of 46 minutes daily—was about half the 1:24 devoted to music streaming alone.

On the entertainment side, music streaming also claimed more time this year than last, at 1:37 daily, on average. Consumption of podcasts, which GWI measured for the first time in H1 2020, accounted for 1:12 each day in H1 2021.

About 90% of internet users in Vietnam had listened to digital audio content (such as music, podcasts, or audiobooks) in the month prior to polling this year. Only half as many respondents—44.1%—had listened to live radio during the same period. Similarly, music streaming accounted for an average 1:07 per day, double the 33 minutes devoted to broadcast radio.