News podcasts are the most listened-to genre! The new podcast study by Seven.One Audio reveals society's need for guidance and provides new data
Unterföhring, February 9, 2026. Whether it's the war in Ukraine, Donald Trump's presidency in the US, the tense economic situation or the new German government – social, political and economic developments have noticeably gained momentum in recent years, with the result that our everyday lives are now dominated by a constant stream of new and increasingly complex headlines. Against this backdrop, it is hardly surprising that news podcasts were the most listened-to podcast genre in the German-speaking region in 2025. This is shown by a new study by Seven.One Audio, the leading German podcast marketer.
Since 2022, the news genre – which includes podcasts from the fields of news, politics and economics – has seen a continuous increase in usage. These developments clearly show that there is a high demand for well-founded analysis and reliable guidance in Germany, and news podcasts have established themselves as a fixed source of information and guidance in everyday life. What is surprising is that the news audience differs significantly from other audiences in terms of age, gender distribution, level of education and income.
Alexander Krawczyk, Senior Vice President Seven.One Audio: "Developments in recent years have significantly increased the need for reliable guidance. News podcasts such as “Apokalypse & Filterkaffee" and "Gysi gegen Guttenberg" have become an acoustic compass for many. They regularly provide guidance on complex world events – and at the same time offer a high-quality advertising environment with a particularly effective audience. For brands that want to be visible in these premium environments, news podcasts have become an indispensable part of the media mix and a real image booster. Everything also indicates that the news genre will remain a key driver in the podcast market in 2026!”
The most important findings of the new study at a glance:
1. News podcasts were the most listened-to genre in Germany in 2025! Since 2022, the news genre has seen continuous growth in usage despite minor fluctuations. While the number of valid downloads at the end of 2021 was just over 11 million, by the end of 2025 it had reached almost 40 million. The trend is even more evident in the number of plays per month: while news podcasts reached 170 million monthly plays in 2024, usage increased to 191 million in 2025 – a growth of +12 % within a year. Comedy (56 million plays) and society & culture (52 million plays) follow at a considerable distance. (Podius 2025; agma 2025)
2. Politics and social issues dominated news podcasts in 2025! Weekly reporting in the news genre was clearly dominated by political and socially relevant content. This was followed by topics from society, culture and the media. Topics such as crime, law and security, economics and finance, health and the environment played a significantly less important role in comparison. The strong emphasis on political content shows that there is a high demand for up-to-date information and analysis in Germany – and news podcasts have established themselves as a key source of information in this regard. (PodMon 2025)
3. News podcast listeners are older, male, more educated, have higher incomes and are more likely to be in leadership roles! News podcasts are mainly used by older target groups: 25% of 60- to 69-year-olds and 22% of 50- to 59-year-olds listen to news podcasts regularly. The 18-29 age group lags significantly behind at 13%, although they lead the way in other genres. The genre also stands out in terms of gender distribution: 58% of listeners are male, making news podcasts one of the podcast genres with a significantly higher proportion of male listeners compared to other genres. In addition, news listeners are remarkably well educated and are more likely to have a technical college or university degree – especially those aged 18 to 49 (58%). Another difference can be seen in income: 32% more 18- to 49-year-olds earn over EUR 4,500 net per month than podcast listeners of other genres, with the figure for 18- to 29-year-olds at around 29%. And there is also a strong profile in terms of professional positions: among listeners over 50, almost 70% are more likely to be found in management positions than in other genres. (Payback / Seven.One Media 2025)
4. Product recommendations in podcasts enjoy a particularly high level of trust – especially among young news podcast listeners! A quarter of 18- to 29-year-olds (25%) trust product recommendations from podcasts more than recommendations from other media. This shows that advertising in credible environments such as news podcasts benefits from a significant trust bonus. High-quality, journalistically elaborate formats even serve to enhance the image of the advertising brand – instead of, as is often feared, having a negative impact on the brand through sober, critical headlines. In addition, podcast advertising is perceived across all age groups as an important contribution to the financing of quality content. (Payback / Seven.One Media 2025)
Further insights into news podcasts and illustrative graphics can be found in the study by Seven.One Audio, which is now also available here.
Seven.One Audio markets new news podcasts by Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg
The fact that the news podcast trend will continue in 2026 is illustrated by the new media brand GUTTENBERG, launched on February 2 by Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and other journalists such as Klaus Brinkbäumer. Three new podcasts are being launched with the brand launch: "Land in Sicht", "NEULAND Update" and "Make America Good Again". They complement the podcast "Gysi gegen Guttenberg", which has been listened to millions of times since 2023, and are marketed exclusively by Seven.One Audio.