Who is listening, what they want, who they trust, and what is happening inside the Black Podcast Directory. National data first, global data second, our own catalog last.
The whole country is tuning in, and more of it is watching too. That is the audience BPD shows are growing into.
About 167 million people
About 130 million people
About 230 million people
time spent with podcasts since 2015, now 773 million hours every week (ages 13+)
Black listeners are a big part of the boom, and the reason BPD exists. Different studies count in different ways, so read each card on its own.
of Black adults listened last month, vs 38% of all adults (2022 data)
Edison Research, SXM Media, Mindshare: Black Podcast Listener Report 2.0more Black consumers used podcasts over the three years to Feb 2022
Nielsen, 2022of Black podcast listeners had been listening for less than a year
Edison Research, Black Podcast Listener Report 2.0growth in heavy Black podcast listeners, people who listen 8 or more hours a week
Nielsen, The Black Influence, reported Jan 2026Representation is not a nice extra. It is what BPD is built around, and for many Black listeners it is part of why they press play.
YouTube is the top platform Black listeners use to find podcasts, and it reaches 63% of Black adults. Across the U.S., 37% of people 12 and up watched a video podcast last month.
Nielsen, The Black Influence (Jan 2026) and 2025 report; Edison Research, The Podcast Consumer 2025BPD shows are going video too.
Black listeners act on what they hear, which is why BPD sends people straight to the hosts.
Sources: Nielsen (2022, 2025) and Nielsen data reported by Radio Ink (Jan 2026). YouTube is the top platform Black listeners use to find podcasts.
BPD is built in the U.S., but Black podcasting is a worldwide story.
people watch podcasts on YouTube every month, worldwide
YouTube via TechCrunch, Feb 2025Nigeria podcast listener growth, 2021 to 2022, Africa's second-largest market
Spotify data via Vanguard, 2023of Black UK listeners tune in monthly, 6 points above the UK average
Edison UK 2024, as quoted by Auddy (second-hand)awards to 29 podcasts at the 2025 Black Podcasting Awards, the first in-person ceremony
Black Podcasting Awards via PodnewsTop African podcast countries on Spotify: South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Angola. Global data on Black listeners is thin, so this chapter is a starting point, not the whole picture.
Every approved show in the Black Podcast Directory, counted on Sept 21, 2026. This is what BPD listeners can find today.
Shows that touch each niche, out of 1,050 counted. Shows can fit several.
have a celebrity host. About 84 in 100 are independent creators and community voices.
Episodes in each show feed, from the BPD catalog.