The children’s podcast industry is booming as Millennial parents turn to the medium to entertain their kiddos. 

The children’s podcast industry is booming as Millennial parents turn to the medium to entertain their kiddos. YPulse’s TV and entertainment research shows 72% of Millennial parents listen to podcasts–and they increasingly may be listening with their children. Kids’ podcasts have boomed during the pandemic as a screen-free form of edutainment, and the trend is still going strong: podcasts aimed at children / families have experienced a 20% increase in listenership since 2019, according to NPR and Edison Research’s 2021 Spoken Word Audio Report. Podcast adaptations of popular TV shows are a hit along with original shows, and companies are leaning hard into the medium. Spotify released a slate of exclusive children’s programming such as a spinoff of Moonbug Entertainment’s hit series CoComelon; GBH Kids is adapting PBS’ Arthur to keep the show’s legacy around for a new generation; and Warner Bros. optioned TV rights for an upcoming cast titled 20 Million Views. Meanwhile, Amazon’s podcast network Wondery has inked deals with Gen-Z Media and Tinkercast while rolling out a subscription tier for children’s podcasts. According to Tinkercast’s CEO, “[A few years ago] people didn’t really think about whether there was audio content for kids available. It has absolutely exploded since then, and a lot of bigger companies are taking an interest and seeing this as a white space that has a lot more potential.” (THR)