What the Data Actually Says
Every year, as December approaches, the same question comes up in podcasting. Do people actually listen over the holidays?
Some creators believe downloads fall sharply at Christmas. Others say December is one of their strongest months. Many point to January as either a rebound or a slump.
The problem is not a lack of opinion. The problem is evidence.
There is no single industry study that clearly answers what happens to podcast listening in late December and early January. What we have instead are several solid studies that measure different things, across different years, and on different platforms.
When those are lined up carefully, a clearer picture begins to form. This article looks at the most reliable public data to answer three questions:
- Does podcast listening go up or down in December?
- What happens in January?
- Where is there agreement, and where is there not?
One conclusion stands out above the rest.
Even if audience behavior is unclear, creator behavior is not.
Publishers release fewer episodes in December.
December can be a strong listening month
One of the most important recent studies comes from the Podcast Marketing Trends 2024 report.
The report was published in the first quarter of 2024 and surveyed more than 500 podcasters. It examined listening and publishing patterns across the year.
Instead of focusing only on total downloads, the report emphasized downloads per episode. This matters because it adjusts for months when fewer episodes are released.
The finding was clear.
July, September, and December were among the lowest months for episode publishing. Yet those same months ranked in the top three for downloads per episode.
In simple terms, fewer episodes were released in December, but the episodes that were released performed very well.
This result was later summarized by The Podcast Host in a December 2024 article.
Although the write up appeared in December 2024, it clearly references the Podcast Marketing Trends 2024 dataset. Based on the timing of the study, this means the December being discussed is almost certainly December 2023.
That distinction matters.
The takeaway is not that December is always strong. The takeaway is narrower.
December 2023 showed strong listening relative to the number of episodes released.
What about January?
The same Podcast Marketing Trends report also points to a decline in January following that strong December.
However, the report includes an important clarification.
Author Jeremy Enns notes this January drop may not represent a true fall in listening behavior. Instead, it may be influenced by changes in how podcast downloads were counted during that period.
In late 2023, major podcast platforms adjusted how automatic downloads were triggered and recorded. Fewer episodes were being downloaded in the background without a listener actively pressing play. As a result, reported download totals dropped even if actual listening did not fall at the same rate.
In simple terms, some of what looks like a January slump may be a measurement change rather than an audience change.
Because of this, the January data should be interpreted with caution.
This is why platform level data is useful as a second reference point.
Buzzsprout tells a different story
Buzzsprout is one of the few podcast hosting companies that publishes monthly platform wide download totals.
Looking at calendar year 2024, a clear pattern appears:
- The average month in 2024 saw about 103.6 million downloads
- December 2024 recorded about 91.7 million downloads
- January 2024 recorded about 115.5 million downloads
- December was well below the yearly average. January was well above it.
Buzzsprout also provides year over year context:
- December 2023 recorded about 106.5 million downloads
- December 2024 recorded about 91.7 million downloads
- That is a decline of roughly 14 percent
At minimum, this tells us one thing. December does not behave the same way every year.
December 2023 looked strong. December 2024 looked weak.
Why these findings seem to conflict
At first glance, these studies seem to contradict each other.
The Podcast Marketing Trends report suggests December can be strong.
Buzzsprout data suggests December 2024 was weak.
Both can be true.
They are measuring different things.
Downloads per episode reward scarcity and loyalty. Total downloads measure absolute listening volume.
A month with fewer releases can look excellent on a per episode basis while still producing fewer total downloads overall.
This difference explains much of the confusion around holiday listening.
One clear point of agreement
While listener behavior is uncertain, publisher behavior is not.
Multiple independent sources show a clear decline in episode releases in December.
The Podcast Marketing Trends 2024 report notes an obvious decrease in episode production during the winter holidays.
Podnews, citing Livewire data, reported an 11.1 percent drop in new episodes released in December.
This is one of the few points where the industry agrees.
Creators publish less in December
This drop in supply can create opportunity for shows that continue publishing. Timing and consistency matter. This is something we have explored before when looking at how release schedules affect audience growth in Finding the Best Day to Publish Your Podcast Episodes.
Seasonal patterns beyond the holidays
It also helps to look beyond December.
Several studies examine podcast listening across the full year rather than focusing only on the holidays.
Two widely cited sources are The Podcast Space and Spotify.
Both identify months when new listener discovery tends to be stronger. Those months are January, March, July, and October.
The reasons are behavioral.
January and March align with goal setting and learning.
July reflects disrupted routines.
October aligns with renewed focus before year end.
These patterns reinforce a broader idea. Podcast listening is tied closely to daily routines. When routines shift, listening shifts too. We have written about this in more detail in Podcasts Are Shaping Daily Routines.
What we know and what we do not
After reviewing all available data, the most honest conclusions look like this.
What we know:
- December publishing volume drops
- December can perform well on a per episode basis
- January often shows strong engagement and discovery
What we do not know:
- Whether December listening is consistently higher or lower than average
- Whether January is always a rebound
- Whether holiday listening behavior is consistent across platforms and years
No single study answers these questions decisively.
What this means for creators
The lack of clarity creates opportunity.
If fewer shows publish in December and listeners do not disappear, competition for attention drops.
That does not mean every creator should publish more holiday content.
It does mean that stopping entirely is a strategic choice.
Podcasting is built on habit.
Consistency often matters more than perfect timing.
Until clearer industry benchmarks exist, the most defensible conclusion remains this: December is not reliably good or bad for podcast listening. It is reliably under supplied.