Amazon has announced that playback of podcasts is now integrated into Amazon Music in Australia but a quick look at the directory shows that many popular podcasts from big players like BBC, NPR and TWIT network are missing. Also weirdly there are podcasts from Radio New Zealand but not Australia’s own ABC Radio?
When asked about this, a spokesperson for Amazon Music Australia told us they:
“are thrilled to offer such a great collection of podcasts at launch, and will be adding more every day, while giving podcast creators a new home to reach even more fans. This announcement is just the start. We’ll continue to announce new podcasts examining music, entertainment, culture, history and much more”.
Amazon Music customers can access podcasts in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android, on Alexa enabled devices, and at music.amazon.com.au/podcasts.
I’m a paying Amazon Music Unlimited customer but until their podcast directory becomes more comprehensive I will continue using the excellent podcast app Pocketcasts integration with Alexa, which let’s me seamlessly tell my Echo speakers in the house to continue playing whatever podcast I was last listening to on my phone.
Using the new Amazon Music functionality Australian customers will be able to stream many podcasts they already know as well as try new, original shows produced exclusively for Amazon Music and hosted by creators such as Jake Brennan, DJ Khaled, Dave Crawley and more, at no additional cost.
To coincide with the announcement, Amazon has released findings from its State of Podcast report, which set about to understand the behaviours of Australian podcast listeners.
Some of the key findings are below:
- Local content reigns supreme in the battle for Australians’ ears. A huge 50% of Australian podcast listeners prefer local podcasts, compared to just 26% who prefer non-Australian content.
- Over half (56%) say that they listen to podcasts to learn something new or to learn about issues and topics that aren’t covered in other mediums (31%)
- The overwhelming majority (86%) of Aussie podcast listeners agree that listening to podcasts has positively impacted them, whilst over a third (35%) agreed they allowed them to be more mindful and supportive of their own mental health
For the 48% of listeners who prefer to tune in at home, this launch also marks the first time they will be able to access podcasts via Amazon Music using only their voice on any Alexa enabled device, including Echo speakers and smart displays, or via the Alexa and Amazon Music apps on a smart phone or tablet.
There’s a reason they didn’t choose TWiT… it’s because their audience is very small and their content is terrible!