#16 Metacast: A Podcast Episode about Podcasts

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Podcasting is rapidly becoming the next boom industry in China, with approximately 80 million daily downloads of podcasts and a projected audience of 486 million total. When it comes to putting a number on the industry, however, things get less clear. Some estimate that China’s podcast industry is worth upward of $7 billion, citing a report by China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television. However, this figure is likely somewhat off the mark — the $7 billion figure refers only to “pay for knowledge” programming, that is, educational shows that consumers pay for directly. A more comprehensive number that takes into account free content or podcasts supported by advertisements remains elusive. By comparison, podcasters based in the U.S. made an estimated $314 million in 2017, a number that is projected to double by 2020. Meanwhile, the U.S. “pay for knowledge” industry is estimated to have earned $12 billion in 2016, according to our peer podcast also available on the Sinica Network, TechBuzz China by Pandaily.   

Featuring
Joshua Thomas Ogden-Davis : Writer & Podcaster at Ximalaya (喜马拉雅)
Kou Aizhe |  寇爱哲 : Founder & Host of Story FM (故事FM)
Yu Wanying | 于婉莹 : Founder & Host of Museelogue( 博物志)

Middle Earth is made by China Compass Productions and hosted by Aladin Farré. If you have a China-themed cultural project like shooting your next documentary or look for a specific talent, please get in touch! 

Recommended watching and listening
- "Digitally China", a podcast about China’s tech innovation.
- "Chinese Cooking Demystified", a YouTube cooking show.
- 日谈公园, a Chinese podcast about China’s culture today.
- 忽左忽右, another Chinese podcast about China’s culture today.

Quiz's answers
- Ximalaya claimed $100 million dollars of revenue in 2017.
- Cai Kangyong (蔡康永) earned 35 million RMB with his podcast "Good Talk" (好好说话).
- Zeng Pengyu (曾鹏宇) had his book content shamelessly stolen by the podcast "Peaceful Goddess" (平安娘娘).

With thanks to Brenden Gonsalves  for graphic design & Sean Calvo for music support.