Podcasts might be the next big trend in Taiwan, a survey showed.
The study conducted by podcast platform Soundon said that the number of podcast programs last year increased by about 300, while the first half of this year has seen 870 more programs, adding that the first podcasts have been established as early as 2000.
The podcast scene grows by 100 programs per month, it said, adding that the total number of programs in Taiwan is 1,336.
The majority of new programs can be grouped into two categories — fashion and arts, or society and culture, Soundon said, adding that the growth in news and personal optimization programs remains low.
However, Soundon estimates that such programs would see more demand in the coming years.
Eighty percent of listeners favor talk show formats, the platform’s statistic showed.
While the majority of podcast listeners is female — about 60 percent — the average age of the audiences is between 23 and 32, with more than 95 percent of listeners having a college degree, Soundon said.
At least 50 percent of those listening to podcasts tune in at least five days a week, with an average daily listening time of 31 minutes to an hour, it added.
The podcast medium has taken off within the past two years, as 90 percent of participants in the survey have started listening within this time frame, Soundon said.
Compared with YouTube viewers, podcast audiences appear to be more loyal, with 95 percent of respondents having a preferred program and 70 percent willing to introduce friends or family to their favorite show.
Soundon cited 60 to 80 percent of the respondents as saying that they usually listen to the entirety of a podcast episode — 20 percent more compared with YouTube.
Podcast listeners are also more willing to pay for content, with 60 percent inclined to subscribe to channels and 50 percent saying that they have paid for content before, Soundon said.
About 85 percent of respondents said they do not mind product placement advertising, it added.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a