More than 100,000 podcasts launched in first half of 2025

The number of active podcasts has more than doubled the rate of all last year, as mid-year data from Listen Notes shows 533,943 shows have released an episode since the start of 2025. That is more than double the 259,371 active shows the podcast search engine logged in 2024, reports Inside Radio.

The numbers, states Inside Radio, show that 2025 has already had the most activity seen since the peak pandemic years when a rush of new podcasts pushed the number active shows to just under 600,000. If the current pace of new show launches holds steady, it could mean the industry will see a record amount of episode releases from podcasters. In the meantime, the data shows more creators have already published more episodes this year than the last two combined.

Listen Notes says 101,957 new podcasts debuted during the first half of the year. In what has become a familiar pattern, the number of launches is the greatest at the beginning of the year and then trails off as the summer months draw closer. The latest data shows 13,786 podcasts launched worldwide in June, a 17% decline from a month earlier. The biggest number of debuts recorded this year came in January, when the search engine detected 19,551 new shows.