"Ear economy" thrives in China

Listeners take part in an activity held by Xiaoyuzhou in Shanghai in October 2024. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

In recent years, audiobooks, podcasts, and radio dramas have flourished. Data shows that China's online audio user base reached 747 million in 2024, with the market size of the audio industry exceeding 560 billion yuan (about $68.86 billion).

Data from Ximalaya, an online audio-sharing platform, shows that Chinese podcast listeners on Ximalaya have surpassed 220 million. In 2024, the podcast platform Xiaoyuzhou added over 46,000 new shows and more than 400,000 episodes. These statistics indicate that audio programs are gaining popularity among the public.

According to Xiao Xiong, head of creator operations at Xiaoyuzhou, the platform's user base grew by about 50 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year.

"In the past two years, we've seen a noticeable surge in college students tuning into podcasts, shifting the audience beyond its previous dominance by working professionals," he said.

Platforms like Ximalaya, Lizhi, and NetEase Cloud Music offer a wide range of podcast content, including business, technology, history, culture, and intriguing stories, giving listeners diverse options.

Peoeple attend a concert held on a balcony in Beilin district of Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Dec. 7, 2024. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Cheng)

He Tianping, an associate professor from the Department of Journalism at Renmin University of China, pointed out that the rapid growth of the podcast market is largely driven by the increasingly diverse and personalized demands of different audiences.

"Distinct content preferences among various groups have opened up vast creative opportunities for podcast creators and fueled the diversification of podcast content," He said.

Beyond traditional conversational podcasts, many listeners also tune into comedy shows, audio dramas, and audiobooks across different audio platforms.

A 2024 industry report jointly released by Ximalaya and other organizations showed that 76.2 percent of podcast users listened to audio programs for at least 30 minutes a day.

Podcasts prioritize user engagement, catering to emotional needs and fostering meaningful interaction. This gives many listeners a unique sense of belonging within the podcasting space.

Beyond companionship, podcasts also offer a sense of fulfillment.

Many users turn to audio platforms for in-depth learning, particularly in subjects like exam preparation and economics.

Host of a podcast program records a show. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

"I used to rely on short-video platforms for study tips, but I've found that audio platforms are better for exam preparation," said Yimo (pseudonym), who is currently preparing for the civil servant exam.

Yimo explained that the rapid visuals and intense background music in short videos often make it difficult to focus and absorb key information. In contrast, long-form audio offers a more structured and immersive learning experience.

From a creator's perspective, producing audio content is far more accessible than video content, lowering the barrier for passionate storytellers across industries to jump in.

Zhong Shu, a lecturer at Boston College, the U.S., who specializes in philosophy and political science, started her podcast in July 2023 on a whim.

"I watched an hour-long tutorial on audio production and then recorded my first episode on my phone," she said. To this day, her only investment has been a single microphone.

A girl listens to an audio program at the Kunshan Library in Kunshan, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Nov. 24, 2024. (People's Daily Online/Wang Xuzhong)

"The low-cost and straightforward process removes the pressure, allowing me to focus entirely on the content," she added. Her podcast now has 240,000 subscribers on Xiaoyuzhou.

As artificial intelligence (AI) technology advances, podcast and audio platforms are adopting new tools to enhance the listening experience. Ximalaya's AI multimodal audio model enables users to upload scripts, choose voices, and create their own audio and video content—even cloning voices for personalized production.

Ximalaya has developed a voice library with 535 synthesized voices. AI-driven audio processing improves production quality, offering listeners a broader variety of content, according to Ye Jianhao, who is in charge of Ximalaya's AI algorithms.

AI also boosts efficiency for podcast creators. "In content creation, AI algorithms can analyze trending topics in real time, automatically generating ideas to help creators explore new subjects and add depth to their content," said Ye.

AI now enables greater interactivity and real-time responsiveness, making content creation faster and more flexible. It also breaks down many barriers in the creative process, allowing more people to get involved, Ye explained.