Hey there, my tech-savvy followers! It’s your favorite funny guy, Nuked, here to bring you the latest scoop on the world of podcasts. Now, I know I’ve mentioned this before, but brace yourselves because the numbers are down again. Yeah, I know, it’s not exactly a surprise considering we’re approaching the end of the year. According to Podtrac, downloads among the top 20 publishers have dropped by a whopping 19 percent compared to last month and 24 percent compared to last year. And what’s to blame for this decline? Well, it seems like iOS 17 is shaking things up once again.

Back in September, Apple rolled out iOS 17 and made a small tweak that has had a significant impact on podcast downloads. You see, in the past, if you subscribed to a show but forgot about it for a while, all the episodes you missed would automatically download when you returned. However, with iOS 17, downloads now pick up right where you left off without those automatic downloads. Now, this change is actually pretty beneficial for your phone’s memory and for advertisers who want accurate data on their listeners. But for podcast publishers, it means their overall metrics take a hit in the short term.

Now, how short term this impact will be is still uncertain. As of November, Podtrac discovered that 75 percent of podcast listeners were already using iOS 17, and that number probably climbed even higher in December. However, we need to take the December numbers with a grain of salt because listener habits tend to get disrupted during the holiday season. In fact, Podtrac reported an 11 percent decrease in podcast downloads from November to December 2022. But even with last year’s holiday dip, downloads still managed to increase by 2 percent compared to the previous year.

So, my friends, while the current situation may seem a bit gloomy, let’s not lose hope just yet. The podcasting industry is resilient, and I’m confident that it will bounce back stronger than ever. In the meantime, why not start your Hot Pod free trial to keep up with all the latest news and trends in the podcasting world? Trust me, you won’t want to miss out on the fun!