Daily news podcasts in Spain. Predictive factors of multi-platform
engagement (iVoox and YouTube)
El pódcast diario de noticias en España. Factores predictivos del engagement
multiplataforma (iVoox y YouTube)
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nº 42, pp. 47-71
| 47
January-June of 2026
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
How to cite this article:
García-Marín, D. (2026). Daily news podcasts in Spain. Predictive factors of multi-platform engagement (iVoox and YouTube).
Doxa
Comunicación
, 42, pp. 47-71.
https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n42a2754
David García-Marín.
PhD in Sociology and Media (UNED). Senior Lecturer in the Department of Journalism and
Corporate Communication at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC). Member of the Research Group on the Impact of
Cultural Factors in International Relations (PROMAPI), and the Research Group on Mediation and Communication
(GUIMEDCOM), both at URJC. He is the author of some hundred publications focused on podcasting and digital audio,
disinformation, fact-checking, and articial intelligence applied to communication and journalism. A member of the
Research Ethics Committee at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. He has been part of the Expert Group of the Spanish National
Security Department (reporting to the Prime Minister’s Oce) since 2023, conducting studies on disinformation
campaigns in the eld of national security. He is a member of the Jean Monnet Chair “EU, Disinformation and Fake News”
funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ Programme. He also participates in the Mario Kaplún Chair in Media
Literacy corresponding to the International Centre for Higher Communication Studies for Latin America (CIESPAL).
He currently holds the position of Coordinator of Institutional Development in the Faculty of Communication (URJC).
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
[email protected]
ORCID:
0000-0002-4575-1911
is content is published under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License. International License CC BY-NC 4.0
Recibido: 29/07/2024 - Aceptado: 31/10/2024 - En edición: 03/12/2024 - Publicado: 01/01/2026
Resumen:
Este trabajo ofrece algunas claves que pueden ayudar a los productores de
pódcast diarios de noticias a potenciar la conexión con sus audiencias. En
concreto, pretende medir el efecto de determinadas variables apenas in
-
vestigadas previamente (temáticas, conexión con la actualidad, día de pu
-
blicación, alcance y duración, entre otras) en los diferentes indicadores del
engagement en iVoox y YouTube. Para ello, se analizaron todos los capí
-
tulos publicados durante los seis primeros meses de 2024 por los tres prin
-
cipales pódcast diarios de noticias de España: Hoy en El País, El Mundo
al día y Un tema al día (n=708). El análisis se realizó mediante estadística
descriptiva e inferencial a través de pruebas correlacionales y estudios de
Received: 29/07/2024 - Accepted: 31/10/2024 - Early access: 03/12/2024 - Published: 01/01/2026
Abstract:
is paper presents some key points that may be of help to producers
of daily news podcasts to strengthen their connection with their
listeners. It specically aims to measure the eect of certain variables
that have seldom been researched (topics, links to current aairs, day
of posting, reach, and length, among others) concerning the various
engagement indicators on iVoox and YouTube. All the episodes
posted during the rst six months of 2024 by the three main daily news
podcasts in Spain were analysed: Hoy en
El País, El Mundo al día
, and
Un tema a día
(n=708). e analysis was conducted using descriptive
and inferential statistics through correlation tests and predictive
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ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
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factores predictivos mediante regresiones lineales múltiples. Los resultados
observan que la tasa de engagement en YouTube triplica la cifra obtenida
por iVoox. Aunque la generación de engagement es altamente contextual
(resulta diferente en función de la plataforma de publicación utilizada), el
hecho de abordar temas políticos es un potente activador del compromiso
en ambas plataformas. También se observa que una duración breve (entre
los 11 y los 18 minutos) resulta factor predictivo de la tasa de engagement
tanto en iVoox como en YouTube.
Palabras clave:
News daily podcast; engagement; iVoox; YouTube; España.
factor analysis using multiple linear regressions. e results show
that the engagement rate on YouTube triples the number achieved
by iVoox. Although the generation of engagement is highly contextual
(varying depending on the posting platform employed), the fact of
addressing political issues is a powerful engagement trigger on both
platforms. Short duration 11–18 minutes) is also observed to be a
predictive factor of the engagement rate on both iVoox and YouTube.
Keywords:
Daily news podcast; engagement; iVoox; YouTube; Spain.
1. Introduction and theoretical framework
News podcasts have emerged in recent years as an important way of narrating and transmitting news, providing fresh nuances
to audio communication and the distribution of news to increasingly large audiences (Newman & Gallo, 2020). Despite their
limited history, news podcasts have managed to redene journalistic narrative by virtue of a mix of accessibility, intimacy, depth
and credibility. For example, there is evidence of the format’s ability to oer reliable information in periods of crisis such as the
COVID-19 pandemic (Lindgren, 2024). Likewise, news podcasts allow for inquiring into certain topics, prioritising quality over
quantity (Körner & Grabl, 2024), while presenting “context, depth and greater editorial independence in journalists’ coverage
of current aairs” (Martín-Nieto
et al.,
2024: 2).
According to Digital News Report 2023, the United States is the leader in news podcast listenership, 19% of US users surveyed
saying they listened to the format during December 2023. News podcasts’ penetration rate in Spain stands at 14%, two points
above the international average (12%) and only behind the United States, Sweden, Australia and Ireland (Newman
et al
., 2023).
Podcasts by journalists can take dierent forms. Non-ction narrative projects are particularly common, where the journalist
oers serialised in-depth analysis of real events in a way not unlike literary or cinematic narrative. ey utilise techniques from
the eld of ction, present detailed, high-quality production, and involve exhaustive research work. e so-called daily news
podcasts
(the focus of this study) provide content usually based on the day’s news in a non-serialised manner and at regular
intervals (generally from Monday to Friday), in short instalments (3 to 30 minutes), and employing a personal narrative style
associated with its presenter, who tries to reinforce the identity of the media outlet that produces it (Leoz-Aizpuru & Pedrero-
Esteban, 2022).
Although the origin of the daily news podcast is usually set in 2006 with the launch of
e Guardian
’s
Newsdesk
(Martínez-
Costa Pérez & Lus Gárate, 2019), authors such as Bonini (2015) claim that, in reality, the rst program in the format was
produced a year earlier by the British newspaper
Daily Telegraph
. News podcasts appeared in Spain in May 2018 when
El
País
published
El País Noticias
, a podcast news bulletin that presented a summary of the day’s main stories.
Las Noticias de
ABC
(launched in November that year), adopted the same format in two daily instalments, unlike the
El País
product
.
which
broadcast a single programme per day (Leoz-Aizpuru & Pedrero-Esteban, 2022).
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Following these initial forays, the turning point for daily news podcasts in Spain came in 2020, a year of particular growth for
the medium both in terms of the supply and consumption of content. e COVID-19 crisis had an impact on the increase in
demand for journalistic podcasts internationally, users wishing not only to be informed but also to enjoy immersive non-
ction narratives (Dowling, 2024). News organisations in Spain joined this wave, incorporating voice and audio strategies
into their business plans, and the main newspapers launched their own daily audio projects (Martínez-Graña
et al.
, 2023).
Professional media’s involvement in the world of podcasts has been growing since 2020 in order to explore “its opportunities
for news and opinion” (Martínez-Costa
et al
., 2022: 1). Two prominent news brands such as
El Mundo
and
elDiario.es
began
using the format in June and September 2021, while
El País
’ product was launched in March 2022. Our study is focused on the
daily news podcasts of these three media outlets, which are characterised by their commitment to the deep dive format.
1.1. e deep dive format for daily news podcasts
1
Newman & Gallo (2019) propose a taxonomy of journalistic podcasts divided into four categories: (1) summaries or bulletins, (2)
deep
dive, (3) audio documentary, and (4) long-duration roundtables or extended discussions. Simplifying this classication,
we can arm that there are basically two formats of daily news podcasts (Carvajal
et al
. 2022; Leoz-Aizpuru & Pedrero-Esteban,
2022): (1) the micro-bulletin, which oers brief instalments as a radio bulletin summarising the day’s news items, and (2) the
in-depth analysis or deep dive, consisting of a longer monographic programme (usually around 20 minutes) “that goes deeper
into an issue, frequently (although not always) something on the immediate agenda, using journalists from that media outlet
and experts on the subject to be discussed” (García-Marín, 2024: 5). As mentioned above, daily news podcasts on
El Mundo
,
elDiario.es
and
El
País
are examples of the format. All three titles have adopted the structure and style characteristic of the
successful
e Daily,
the deep dive
podcast launched by the
New York Times
in February 2017, considered a benchmark in the
sector.
e format is characterised by the combination of expository (news), conversational (interviews) and narrative (reportage
or documentary) genres. It arises, fundamentally, from the dialogue between the presenter or host of the programme and
a journalist from the same medium who specialises in the subject chosen for each episode. Its objective is not to deal with
the news of the day (closer to the micro-bulletin format), but to provide depth and context in the analysis of a single topic
(its programmes are usually monographic) beyond the rapid consumption of headlines. It is considered an example of
slow
journalism
as opposed to the faster-paced radio news, which is subject to the demands of live broadcasts and breaking news.
e term
slow journalism
was coined by Susan Greenberg in 2007 (Le Masurier, 2015), it favours research and depth when
telling stories and oers an alternative to conventional news in order to “give greater meaning to our understanding of the
world” (Greenberg, 2013: 381).
Deep dive daily news podcasts oer highly contextualised, in-depth journalism in their analysis, as well as a relaxed and
personal narrative clearly set by the podcast host. ey are part of a major trend towards the creation of immersive, reective
and profuse narrative formats in the presentation of news. Podcasts are ideal as a means of communication for the presentation
1
Although this study is focused on the deep dive format, we also use the formula common in Spain “daily news podcast” (
pódcast diario de noticias
).
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of topics in depth because they provide a focus for listeners’ attention, something very common on image-based platforms or
media (Dowling, 2024), achieving a greater measure of audience immersion (Dowling & Miller, 2019).
As mentioned above, this type of podcast places emphasis on the gure of the host, who usually adopts a warm, intimate
narrative style, forging a close relationship with an audience that gradually becomes a community (Leoz-Aizpuru & Pedrero-
Esteban, 2022). e presenters and analysts who participate in these programs do not limit themselves to setting out bare
facts, but usually take a position on them in accordance with the editorial line of the medium, which serves to reinforce brand
identity. eir usual editorialised tone and the personal narrative that the presenters incorporate in this type of podcast may
clash with their informative nature, creating evident tensions between the essence of this type of productions and the limits
of traditional journalism (Lee
et al.,
2023). In this sense, “it is worth asking to what extent listeners are aware that they are
listening to editorial content, which is more of an opinion piece than a strictly news report” (Martínez-Graña
et al.
, 2023: 225).
is type of journalistic podcast also shows permanent tension between information about the facts and the way they are set
out, techniques from ctional stories being employed on occasion (Dowling, 2024; Legorburu
et al
., 2021).
Deep dive
podcasts epitomise the opposite of what Walter Benjamin saw as a widespread tendency toward the simplication of
narrative formats. Benjamin (2006) argues that the mechanical reproduction of both 20th-century art and news impoverished
the narrative forms and structures of the 19th century, which he considered more complex and sophisticated. On the contrary,
the deep dive format, like the narrative non-ction podcast, favours a neat and polished narrative, rich in detail and resources
and carefully crafted.
Nonetheless, this type of podcast can help rejuvenate the audience of audio-based news content (Skalický, 2023). According to
studies such as that of Amoedo (2023), under 45-year-olds have a greater preference for receiving news through this medium.
Other studies such as that of García-Marín (2024) conrm the tendency. To deepen and expand this connection with a growing
number of users, deep dive podcasts
must take all possible factors for generating audience engagement into account
in a
context of information overload where a multiplicity of actors (news brands and content creators) compete ercely for the
consumer’s attention.
1.2. Engagement and podcast
e concept of engagement
refers to the degree of interaction, connection and commitment that users have with a brand,
product, content or service (Dolan
et al.
, 2016). Askwith (2007) denes it as the set of user behaviours, attitudes and desires
in relation to media consumption, their participation in activities and interactions, their identication with aspects of the
message or product, and the motivations linked to all of the previously mentioned aspects. User engagement
with media texts
can contribute to the achievement of a wide range of functions: gaining perspectives on others’ circumstances, identifying
with others, and generating feelings of belonging to a group, as well as nding certain common ground in the search for
conversation and social interaction (McQuail, 1987).
e generation of engagement
is linked to a set of the audience’s actions, behaviours and attitudes, including: (1) the volume
of interactions, (2) the time that users spend interacting with content, (3) loyalty and repetition (frequency with which users
return and continue consuming the content), (4) active participation (content generated by users) and (5) the feeling and
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perception that users have about the brand, beyond quantitative metrics. We will focus our work on the rst block of aspects,
related to interactions.
From the interaction point of view, the level of engagement
is measured utilising several indicators, such as the number of likes
(an action that expresses conformity and/or enthusiasm towards a post) or the volume of comments (a conversational reaction
in which users respond to or foster dialogues with the content creator or with other users). Although their particularities mean
it is dierent on each digital platform, the so-called engagement rate
is frequently measured through formulas that relate
the sum of likes, comments and times that a content is shared with the number of reproductions, in the case of audiovisual
content, or the number of followers for other types of posts (García-Marín & Salvat-Martinrey, 2022). Please note that the
engagement rate
in this work is calculated following this principle, as shown in Table 1.
Taking all of the above into account, the potential of podcasts to generate engagement with their audiences is evident by
building spaces of intimacy and connection between presenters and listeners (Loviglio, 2024; Adler Berg, 2023; Cook, 2023),
while upholding journalistic ethics and aesthetics (Miller
et al
., 2022). Authors such as Cwynar (2023) point out that podcasts
by journalists, especially non-ction narrative formats, sometimes foster the relationship between host and listener even over
the story being discussed. Journalists’ voices can convey emotions and nuances that are usually lost in written text. Podcasts
allow for a more personal, closer experience, creating a sense of complicity between the narrator and the listener that is
essential in building audience loyalty (Lindgren, 2021). Listeners connect especially with the tone, accent and rhythm of a
voice (Rae, 2023), which constitutes the most immediate means of expression (Kanngieser, 2015).
Clarke & Bjork (2023) argue that the way in which podcasts achieve intimacy is not limited to the revelation of personal
information and emotional experiences, but also extends to the ways in which sound design complements and aects those
intimate stories. Furthermore, the versatility and adaptability of the medium means that users can access episodes at any time
from any device, adapting it to their individual routines and preferences (Budak, 2022).
Engagement with podcasts has been analysed from numerous variables. ere have been several studies on the inuence
of gender and age on user engagement. Studies by Chan- Olmsted
& Wang (2020) showed that men listen more widely and
deeply than women, and that younger people consume podcasts more intensely and routinely. ey also found that women,
compared to men, are more likely to listen to podcasts at home and less likely to consume them at work, while younger people
consume more podcasts in the workplace or on the move rather than at home. e scientic literature shows such habits
decisively inuence the generation of engagement
with a medium (Perks
et al.,
2019; García-Marín, 2020a).
Connection with the brand (Rhoden
et al.,
2022), social engagement (Tobin & Guadagno, 2022), parasocial relationships with
hosts (Schlütz & Hedder, 2021), and the amount of listening time are other variables analysed in the scientic literature that
foster engagement. According to these contributions, users who develop strong parasocial relationships with the hosts of
the programmes –consisting of the unilateral connections that people establish with a media gure or a celebrity (Schlütz
& Hedder, 2021)– and those who exceed a certain threshold of regular listening to the medium show greater commitment
to podcasts. Tobin & Guadagno (2022) relate the motivation for podcast consumption to factors such as the amount of time
spent listening, the environments in which consumption takes place, the podcast format, the devices used for listening, and
parasocial relationships. García-Marín’s work (2020b) showed that the connection (closeness) between the listener and the
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podcast host (Frobenius, 2014) and the user’s level of technological and media education are two essential variables in driving
engagement
with the medium.
Despite all the scientic evidence on the functioning of engagement in the eld of podcasts, there is a certain lack of research
focused on the relationship between audiences and podcasts by journalists. Some factors that may inuence the connection
of users with the medium have barely been analysed, such as the themes of the programmes, their connection with current
events or their reach (national or international), all of which are variables that are easily controlled by producers. erefore,
this work aims to complement and update research on engagement in this medium by observing variables not yet considered
in the scientic literature in order to produce more complete knowledge about podcast listeners’ patterns of participation and
commitment, with a focus on the journalistic dimension.
is study sets the following objectives:
O
1
: Characterise the current production of daily news podcasts in Spain (in their deep dive format) based on their thematic
fronts, connection with current aairs, day of posting, scope (national or international) and duration.
O
2
: Measure the degree of association of the aforementioned variables with the dierent engagement indicators
(likes,
comments and views), as well as with the engagement rate.
O
3:
Compare the
engagement data (likes, comments, views and engagement rate) of this type of programmes on two
dierent platforms (iVoox and YouTube).
O
4
: Analyse which of the variables considered in the study (topics, connection with current aairs, day of posting, reach
and duration) are predictive of the engagement of these podcasts on the two platforms.
2. Method
2.1. Research design
To achieve these objectives, quantitative research was designed based on analysis of the three main daily news podcasts
produced in Spain: (1)
Hoy en El País
(
El País
), (2)
El Mundo al día
(
El Mundo
) and (3)
Un tema al día
(
elDiario.es
). e choice
of these three titles is based on several criteria:
1. eir clear commitment to the deep dive format, which involves a more complex production based on e Daily’s model
,
which
“inspired the newspapers
El Mundo
and
elDiario.es
in June and September 2021
”
(Martínez Otto
et al., 2022: 6). El
País
joined them in March 2022.
2. Due to their relevance, track record and volume of followers, they are usually the podcasts chosen when it comes to
researching the phenomenon of the daily news podcast
in Spain. Authors such as Martínez Otto
et al.
(2022), Martínez-
Graña
et al.
(2023) or García-Marín (2024) have included these titles in their recent studies. Furthermore, their relevance is
conrmed by the fact that they have been awarded
ex aequo
with the 2023 Ondas Revelación Award.
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3. e three podcasts are available on the two platforms chosen for the study: iVoox and YouTube, episodes being posted
regularly. Note that one of the main contributions of this work is its multi-platform nature, since studies on engagement
in
digital spaces usually focus on a single platform or service.
Table 1 contains the codebook of the variables analysed. Note that almost all independent variables are related to the thematic
focus of the episodes (specic topic, connection with current events and scope). Other variables are added to these variables
such as the day of the episode’s posting, the length and the formula for preparing the titles (interrogative or not). e dependent
variables of the work are those related to the engagement indicators that can be obtained on the platforms analysed (likes,
comments and reproductions) and the engagement rate.
e engagement data have been obtained from iVoox and YouTube for several reasons. Firstly, they are the two platforms,
along with Spotify, with the highest volume of podcast listening in Spain
2
. Moreover, they oer the data publicly, unlike Spotify.
Table 1. Codebook of the study
VariableCategoriesTypeObservations
Issue
Health
Independent
Politics
Sport
Society
Economics
Education
Culture
Science / Technology
Entertainment
Other
2
Data available at:
https://bit.ly/3yfILVt
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Current Aairs
Yes
Independent
is refers to whether the episode is connected to the
news agenda of the day or, at least, the week.
No
Posting day
Monday-SundayIndependent
Please note that the same episode may be posted on
dierent days on each of the platforms analysed.
Scope
National
Independent
e “Not applicable” category is established when the
topic addressed is general and transversal to any area,
national or international.
International
Not applicable
Title formula
Interrogative
Independent
e same episode may have its title in dierent formats
depending on the platform.
Non-interrogative
Length
Quantitative variable.
Measured in minutes
Independent
e length in minutes is rounded up after 30 seconds.
For example, an episode with a length of 12 minutes and
20 seconds is reported as having a length of 12 minutes,
while an episode with a length of 12 minutes and 40
seconds is considered to have a length of 13.
Likes
Quantitative variable
Dependent
Available on iVoox and YouTube
Comments
Quantitative variable
Dependent
Available on iVoox and YouTube
Plays
Quantitative variable
Dependent
Available on iVoox and YouTube
Engagement
rate
Quantitative variable
Dependent
e following formula is used to calculate the rate:
[(number of likes
+ number of comments) / number of
views] x 100 (López-Navarrete
et al.,
2021; García-Marín
and Salvat- Martinrey, 2022)
Source: created by the author
2.2. Sample
All episodes posted by the three podcasts on the two platforms during the rst six months of 2024 (January 1 - June 30) were
analysed. e choice of this period seeks to obtain the most up-to-date picture possible of the production and consumption of
this type of podcast, rather than obtaining a global sample of the entire life of each of the programmes. e sample consisted of
a total of 708 episodes, 395 of which were posted on iVoox (55.8%) and 313 on YouTube (44.2%). Since all the episodes included
in the period analysed are hosted on iVoox, posting on this service will be taken as a reference for the study of general data
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(section 3.1.). e distribution of the sample by media was balanced: 239 episodes of
Hoy en El País
(33.8%), 236 of
elDiario.es
(33.3%) and 233 episodes of
El Mundo al día (32.9%)
were studied.
2.3. Data analysis
Descriptive (O
1
) and inferential (O
2
, O
3,
and O
4
) statistical calculations were used for data analysis. Before deciding whether
to use parametric or non-parametric tests in the inferential statistics calculations, normality tests were performed using
the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test applied to the dependent variables. e tests determined the absence of normality in the
distribution of variable values (p < .001 in all cases), so the application of non-parametric calculations was chosen: correlations
using Spearman’s coecient and Kruskal-Wallis tests (for non-dichotomous variables) and the Mann-Whitney
U
test (for
dichotomous variables). In the approach to O
4
(study of predictive factors), multiple linear regressions were performed.
Analysis of the episodes that make up the sample was carried out by a single coder. In order to grant greater robustness to the
study, Cohen’s Kappa test was applied, taking a total of 71 works from the sample (10.02%). is subsample was analysed by
the same coder at the beginning of the eld work (1st week of May) and again some three months later (3rd week of July) in
order to compare the concordance between the results. For this reliability analysis, only the variables that imply some level of
interpretation (topics, connection with current events and scope) were considered. e results of the test were between k=1
and k=.920 in the three variables (see complete results of the intra-coder reliability test at:
https://bit.ly/4dJEtV
7), values that
can be considered highly satisfactory according to the existing scientic literature (Landis & Coch, 1977).
All statistical work was performed using SPSS v.26 software (full database available at:
https://bit.ly/3LHGO7y).
3. Results
3.1. General characteristics
e results obtained allow us to draw up a general prole of the deep dive daily news podcast in Spain (O
1
) which, from a
thematic point of view, basically focuses on political, social and economic issues. 77.2% of the sample analysed falls into one
of these three thematic categories, although the majority look into political issues (50.1%) (Table 2). 73.9% address issues
related to current aairs. ey are posted on weekdays (Monday to Friday). ere are no episodes published on Saturday, and
Sunday is practically symbolic as a posting day (6.3%). Most episodes deal with issues of national scope (53.7%) and do not
use interrogative formulas in their titles (62.53%). e average duration of an episodes is around 18 and a half minutes (18.34).
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Table 2. Descriptive statistics of the general sample
Independent variableFrequencies (%)
Issue
Health
14 (3.5%)
Politics
198 (50.1%)
Sport
11 (2.8%)
Society
85 (21.5%)
Economics
22 (5.6%)
Education
9 (2.3%)
Culture
18 (4.6%)
Science / Technology8 (2.0%)
Entertainment
1 (0.3%)
Other
29 (7.3%)
Current Aairs
Yes
292 (73.9%)
No
103 (26.1%)
Posting day
Monday
74 (18.7%)
Tuesday
74 (18.7%)
Wednesday
73 (18.5%)
ursday
74 (18.7%)
Friday
75 (19%)
Sunday
25 (6.3%)
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David García-Marín
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
| 57
Scope
National
212 (53.7%)
International
150 (38%)
Not applicable33 (8.3%)
Title formula
Interrogative
148 (37.5%)
Non-interrogative
247 (62.5%)
Duration
M
= 18.34 minutes (SD=6.10). Range: 11-65
Source: created by the author
From the general data on engagement, and in line with O
3,
it can be seen that YouTube oers better performance than iVoox
in all indicators (likes, comments, views and engagement rate) (Table 3). e video platform multiplies the number of likes by
16, has 20 times more comments and quintuples the number of views compared to iVoox. In addition, the engagement rate on
YouTube triples the gure obtained by iVoox. e Mann-Whitney
U
tests observe statistically signicant dierences between
platforms (p =.000 in likes, comments and engagement rates, and p<.001 in views) in all variables, thus, it can be inferred that
the use of YouTube is a relevant factor in the activation of all the engagement indicators observed.
Table 3. Comparison of engagement indicators between platforms
Variable
Average iVoox
(
SD
)
Average YouTube
(
SD
)
p
(Mann-Whitney
U
test)
Likes
15.95 (13.83)259.94 (488.77)
.000*
Comments
3.08 (4.22)61.08 (137.88)
.000*
Reproductions
1579.86 (756.44)8827.57 (14196.85)
<.001*
Engagement rate1.12 (0.53)3.17 (1.81)
.000*
*Signicant dierences when p<.050
Source: created by the author
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January-June of 2026
Daily news podcasts in Spain. Predictive factors of multi-platform engagement (iVoox and YouTube)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
3.2. Deep dive daily news podcasts on iVoox
3.2.1. Likes (iVoox)
In the case of iVoox, the topic with the highest number of likes is that related to science and technology (M = 18.38), followed by
politics (M = 17.94) (Table 4). However, it is necessary to highlight the low frequency of episodes dedicated to the rst category
(science / technology), therefore for the rest of the statistical calculations the political category will be considered as the topic
with the highest average of likes. Episodes that address current issues receive more likes (M = 16.37 compared to M = 15.34),
those posted on Mondays and ursdays, those with national reach (M = 16.21 compared to M = 14.67), and those that do not
use interrogative formulas in their titles (M = 18.55 compared to M = 11.61).
Table 4. Study of engagement in iVoox
Independent variable
Average Likes
(
SD
)
Average
Comments
(
SD
)
Average Plays
(
SD
)
Average
Engagement
(
SD
)
Issue
Health
14,14
(10.59)*
3.07 (4.95)1559.07 (689.01)*0 .99 (0.41)
Politics
17.94 (15.24)*3.26 (4.39)1719.90 (785.37)*1.13 (0.43)
Sport
10.82 (6.86)*1.82 (2.96)1212.45 (553.73)*1.01 (0.46)
Society
15.66 (13.01)*3.02 (3.94)1545.85 (797.12)*1.17 (0.74)
Economics
10.32 (5.29)*2.86 (4.52)1131.45 (417.04)*1.13 (0.42)
Education
10.89 (6.58)*2.33 (2.34)1096.67 (435.97)*1.16 (0.37)
Culture
11,33 (8.82)*2.83 (3.01)1347.22 (671.69)*0.99 (0.50)
Science / Technology18.38 (28.10)*1.63 (0.91)1452.38 (712.92)*1.06 (0.78)
Entertainment
3 (-)*2 (-)816.00 (-)*0 ,61 (-)
Other
14.52 (10.34)*3.25 (5.38)1568.86 (633.56)*1.07 (0.44)
Current Aairs
Yes
16.17 (11.61)3.14 (4.33)1607.18 (772.05)1.13 (0.53)
No
15.34 (18.81)2.89 (3.88)1502.40 (708.20)1.09 (0.51)
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David García-Marín
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
| 59
Posting day
Monday
17.74 (20.77)*3.07 (4.12)1584.96 (823.24)1.16 (0.53)*
Tuesday
15,34 (11.16)*2.99 (4.54)1587.18 (746.15)1.05 (0.40)*
Wednesday
16,34 (12.51)*2.74 (3.9)1674.77 (809.03)1.07 (0.38)*
ursday
17.66 (13.78)*3.14 (4.74)1568.86 (751.32)1.30 (0.80)*
Friday
15.51 (9.74)*3.72 (4.14)1551.76 (757.80)1.15 (0.35)*
Sunday
7.60 (3.81)*2.24 (2.86)1382.84 (341.62)0 ,70 (0.28)*
Scope
National
16,21 (12.16)3.29 (4.27)1611.09 (801.34)1.13 (0.45)
International
14.67 (9.56)2.78 (4.27)1521.95 (640.54)1.10 (0.60)
Formula of the
headline
Interrogative
11.61 (9.81)*2.14 (3.06)*1300.72 (639.93)*1.01 (0.44)*
Non-interrogative.
18.55 (15.19)*3.64 (4.69)*1747.12 (772.51)*1.18 (0.56)*
Length
Rho
=-.306
p
<.001*
Rho
= -.146
p
=.004*
Rho
= -.072
p
=.153
Rho
=-.397
p
<.001*
*Signicant dierences when p<.050
Source: created by the author
In relation to O
2
, statistically signicant dierences are observed in the thematic variable [
H
(9,
n
= 395) = 22.915,
p
=. 006], the
day of posting [
H
(5,
n
= 395) = 19.364,
p
= .002] and the title formula (
U
= 24,712,
p
< .001). As regards subject matter, deviations
in the number of likes
are found between politics and (1) cultural topics (
p
= .008), (2) sports (
p
= .047) and (3) economics (
p
=
.007). Likewise, the length of the episodes correlates negatively with the number of likes
(
Rho
= -.306,
p
< .001): the shorter the
episode, the greater the volume of likes
received (within the sample range, between 11 and 65 minutes).
Of all these factors (topic, posting day, title formula and length), only (1) the topic and (2) the length are included in the
analysis of predictive factors. e variable related to the day of posting is discarded because the only dierences are established
between Sunday and weekdays and, given the low number of episodes posted on Sundays (
n
= 25;
Fr
= 6.3%), the variable is
not considered relevant. Neither is the formulation of the titles (with or without interrogatives) taken into account, because
the majority of the non-interrogative titles are used by
Un tema al día
, the podcast of
elDiario.es
, whose gures in all the
engagement indicators
are considerably higher (with statistically signicant dierences) than the other two podcasts, so we
can infer that the results of this variable are aected by another factor, in this case the medium which posts the podcast.
<p>[Enlace de URL / hc (has AS)]</p>
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|
January-June of 2026
Daily news podcasts in Spain. Predictive factors of multi-platform engagement (iVoox and YouTube)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
Analysis using multiple linear regression (O
4
) determines that politics as the subject matter is a predictor of the number of likes
(
ß
=.145,
adjusted
R
2
=.018,
p
=.004) (Table 5). e fact of making podcasts focused on political issues causes an increase in the
engagement indicator: political topics explain 1.8% of the variance in the number of likes.
To calculate the predictive capacity of length with respect to the number of likes, this aspect was converted into a dichotomous
variable by establishing the following categories: (1) duration below the sample average (18 minutes and less) and (2) duration
above the sample average (greater than 18 minutes). As can be seen, the cut-o point was established at the average length of
the episodes analysed (18.34 minutes). Note that this was also done for the rest of the engagement factors
on the two platforms.
e results of the linear regression show that creating podcasts that are shorter than the average (18 minutes or less) increases
the number of likes
(
ß
=.343,
adjusted
R
2
=.116,
p
<.001). Creating podcasts that are shorter than the average explains 11.6% of the
variance in this variable.
Table 5. Predictive factors of engagement in iVoox
Dependent variableIndependent variable
Standardised
coecient (
ß
)
p
Model Summary
Likes
Political issue
.145.004
F
=8.38
p=
.004
Adjusted
R2 =
.018
Short duration (18
minutes and less)
.346<.001
F
=52.45
p<
.001
Adjusted
R2 =
.116
Comments
Short duration (18
minutes and less)
.224<.001
F
=20.67
p<
.001
Adjusted
R2 =
.048
Reproductions
Political issue
.186<.001
F
=14.05
p<
.001
Adjusted
R2 =
.032
Engagement rate
Short duration (18
minutes and less)
.289<.001
F
=35.75
p<
.001
Adjusted
R2 =
.081
Source: created by the author
3.2.2. Comments (iVoox)
e episodes that receive the greatest number of comments on iVoox are those on a political issue (
M
= 3.26), those that address
current issues (
M
= 3.14 versus
M
= 2.89), those posted on Fridays and ursdays, those of national scope (
M
= 3.29 versus
M
= 2.78), and those headed by non-interrogative titles (
M
= 3.64 versus
M
= 2.14) (Table 4). Statistically relevant deviations are
observed in the variable related to the formulation of the titles: non-interrogative ones receive a signicantly higher number of
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| 61
comments than those that opt for interrogative formulas (O
2
). However, as explained above, this variable will not be considered
in the analysis of predictive factors.
Likewise, the correlational study between the duration and the number of comments observes a negative association between
the two variables: the shorter the duration of the episode, the greater the number of comments (
Rho
= -.146,
p
= .004). erefore,
the only factor included in the analysis of predictive factors is length. e tests using linear regression determine that length is
a factor that inuences the number of comments (O
4
). e variable explains 4.8% of the variance in the volume of comments
(
ß
= .224,
adjusted
R
2
= .048,
p
< .001) (Table 5).
3.2.3. Plays (iVoox)
e listening volume (number of times played) of the podcasts analysed follows a similar pattern to the aforementioned
engagement factors. e most listened to are those on political matters (
M
= 1719.90), those dealing with current aairs (
M
= 1607.18 compared to
M
= 1502.40), those posted on Wednesdays and Tuesdays (it is worth noting that, from Wednesday
onwards the number of plays decreases), those with national reach (
M
= 1611.09 compared to
M
= 1521.95) and those that do
not have interrogative titles (
M
= 1747.12 compared to
M
= 1300.72) (Table 4). Notable dierences are only perceived in the
thematic variable [
H
(9,
n
=395) =32.250,
p
<.001], especially between politics and (1) education (
p
=.006), (2) economics (
p
<.001), (3) sports (
p
=.012), (4) culture (p=.018), and (5) society (
p
=.045). Unlike what is observed in likes
and comments, there
is no correlation between length and the number of reproductions (O
2
).
e creation of podcasts on political issues contributes to increasing the number of plays on iVoox (
ß
=.186,
adjusted
R
2
=.032,
p
<.001) (Table 5). is variable, therefore, inuences the number of listens, with a predictive capacity of 3.2% on the behaviour
of the number of plays (O
4
).
3.2.4 Engagement rate (iVoox)
Episodes on social issues generate the highest engagement rate
(
M
= 1.17), followed closely by those dealing with politics (
M
=
1.13). e other variables keep up the trend indicated in the previously analysed indicators: episodes on current aairs garner
greater engagement
(M
= 1.13 compared to
M
= 1.09), as do episodes with a national scope (
M
= 1.13 compared to
M
= 1.10)
and those that do not formulate the title with interrogative structures (
M
= 1.18 compared to
M
= 1.01). ursday and Monday
are the posting days with the highest engagement. Signicant dierences are only perceived in the posting day and the use of
non-interrogative headlines (O
2
). Both variables are discarded for the study of predictive factors for the reasons explained in
section 3.2.1.
Length, which is also negatively associated with engagement rate
(
Rho
= -.397,
p
<.001), has an impact on this variable (O
4
):
making podcasts below the average duration explains 8.1% of variance in engagement rate
(
ß
= .289,
adjusted
R
2
= .081,
p
<.001).
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|
January-June of 2026
Daily news podcasts in Spain. Predictive factors of multi-platform engagement (iVoox and YouTube)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
3.3. Daily news podcast on YouTube
3.3.1. Likes (YouTube)
e distribution of the number of likes
on YouTube follows a similar tendency to that observed on iVoox. Political matters
receive more likes
(M
= 391.80), as do episodes that deal with current aairs (
M
= 288.87 compared to
M
= 153.72), those
posted on Tuesdays and ursdays, those of national scope (
M
= 312.10 compared to
M
= 216.28), and those that do not use
interrogative titles (
M
= 325.32 compared to
M
= 153.35) (Table 6).
Tabla 6. YouTube engagement study
Independent variable
Average Likes
(
SD
)
Average
Comments
(
SD
)
Averages Plays
(
SD
)
Average
Engagement
(
SD
)
Issue
Health
130.54
(190.30)*
16.69 (24.18)*
3086.54
(3633.06)*
3.09 (1.86)
Politics
391.80
(612.47)*
96.89 (175.78)*
13126.86
(16697.14)*
3.41 (1.80)
Sport
70.33 (97.26)*25,11 (59.94)*
4338.00
(8578.08)*
2.77 (1.68)
Society
120.47
(258.58)*
15.73 (31.17)*
4849.11
(10945.59)*
2.79 (1.61)
Economics
52.76 (67.71)*12.76 (27.15)*
2218.14
(2963.17)*
2.94 (1.55)
Education
53.00 (95.06)11.00 (19.78)*538.00 (208.54)*3.15 (2.59)
Culture
114.67
(169.73)*
51.33 (125.94)*
2880.92
(3231.22)*
3.91 (2.79)
Science / Technology11.33 (3.05)*1.33 (1.15)*756.67 (378.80)*1.89 (0.78)
Entertainment
16.00 ( -)*2.00 ( -)*1578.00 ( -)*1.14 (-)
Other
237.80
(364.47)*
49.30 (103.45)*
7682.45
(11809.19)*
2.89 (1.80)
Current Aairs
Yes
288.87
(501.03)*
71.84 (149.88)*
10346.27
(15302.21)*
3.20 (1.80)
No
153.72
(427.67)*
21.58 (66.82)*
3126.58
(6252.32)*
3.07 (1.84)
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David García-Marín
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| 63
Posting day
Monday
250.17
(501.76)*
53.16 (111.43)*
7980.18
(12172.11)*
3.22 (1.95)
Tuesday
364.39
(618.21)*
102.95 (227.13)*
12567.29
(18924.37)*
3.42 (1.83)
Wednesday
215.46
(379.65)*
46.67 (84.71)*
8010.76
(12288.42)*
3.30 (1.92)
ursday
253.03
(434.59)*
59.07 (125.97)*
8756.87
(13549.43)*
3.06 (1.57)
Friday
248.66
(497.24)*
52.25 (101.90)*
7980.03
(13457.13)*
3.06 (1.82)
Saturday
16.25 (20.29)*3,13 (3.56)*850.38 (531.23)*1.97 (1.27)
Scope
National
312.10 (527.10)72.84 (145.87)
10414.57
(14279.33)
3.14 (1.78)
International
216.28 (503.32)54.50 (137.28)
7721.30
(14942.80)
3.36 (1.86)
Title formula
Interrogative
153.35
(439.36)*
53.77 (167.07)*
7470.68
(16426.02)*
2.47 (1.56)*
Non interrogative
325.32
(506.82)*
65.57 (116.67)*
9654.42
(12622.68)*
3.60 (1.82)*
Length
Rho
=-.181
p
=.001*
Rho
= -.161
p
=.004*
Rho
= -.126
p
=.027*
Rho
=-.267
p
<.001*
*Signicant dierences when p<.050
Source: created by the author
Signicant dierences are observed in the following variables: (1) issue [
H
(9,
n
=313) =47.663,
p
<.001], (2) topicality of the
subject addressed (
U
=6020,
p
<.001), (3) day of posting and (4) headline formula (O
2).
e association between length and
the number of likes is also maintained (
Rho
=-.181,
p
=.001). In the case of the rst variable (subject matter), deviations are
established, above all, in relation to politics and (1) science/technology (
p
=.028), (2) education (
p
=.010), (3) economics (
p
<.001), (4) sports (
p
=.012), (5) society (
p
<.001), (6) culture (
p
=.045), and (7) health (
p
=.040). Concerning the day of posting,
dierences are observed between Saturday and the other days (no deviations are established between working days). Given
the small number of episodes posted on Saturdays (
n
=8,
Fr
=0.25%), this variable is not considered in the calculation of
predictive factors. Neither is the variable related to the title formula included for the reasons explained in section 3.2.1.
e only predictive factor of the number of likes
on YouTube is the subject matter (
ß
=.279,
adjusted
R
2
=.072,
p
<.001) (Table 7).
Coverage of political issues explains 7.2% of the variance in the number of likes
received (O
4
).
64 |
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|
January-June of 2026
Daily news podcasts in Spain. Predictive factors of multi-platform engagement (iVoox and YouTube)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
Table 7. Predictive factors of engagement on YouTube
Dependent variableIndependent variable
Standardised
coecient (
ß
)
p
Model Summary
Likes
Political issue
.279<.001
F
=13.174
p
<.001
Adjusted
R2
=
.072
Comments
Political issue
.237<.001
F
=10.200
p<
.001
Adjusted
R2 =
.081
Posted on Tuesday
.125.023
F
=10.200
p<
.001
Adjusted
R2 =
.081
Reproductions
Political issue
.262<.001
F
=13.333
p<
.001
Adjusted
R2 =
.107
Short duration (18
minutes and less)
.134.019
F
=5.606
p
=.019
Adjusted
R2 =
.015
Engagement
rate
Short duration (18
minutes and less)
.369<.001
F
=48.533
p<
.001
Adjusted
R2 =
.134
Source: created by the author
3.3.2. Comments (YouTube)
In the case of comments, the results are practically the same as for the variable related to likes. e podcasts receiving most
comments are those on politics (
M
= 96.89), or current aairs (
M
= 71.84 versus
M
= 21.58), those posted on Tuesdays and
ursdays, being national in scope (
M
= 72.84 versus
M
= 54.50) and those that do not have interrogative titles (
M
= 65.57
versus
M
= 53.77) (Table 6). ere is also a correlation between brevity and the number of comments (
Rho
= -.161,
p
= .004).
Signicant dierences are also established between political issues and the other categories [
H
(9,
n
=313) =64.694,
p
<.001],
current aairs (
U
=4850,500,
p
<.001), and the formulas for writing the title (O
2
)
.
Added to these is the posting of the podcast on
a Tuesday [
H
(5,
n
=313) =12.985,
p
=.024], a variable that will be integrated into the study of predictive factors.
e linear regression model (O
4
) determines that both political matters (
ß
=.232,
adjusted
R
2
=.081,
p
<.001) and the podcast being
on a Tuesday (
ß
=.125,
adjusted
R
2
=.081,
p
=.023) are factors that predict the number of comments on YouTube (Table 7).
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| 65
3.3.3. Plays (YouTube)
e patterns observed in the case of reproductions are identical. Political issues (
M
= 13,126.86), current aairs (
M
= 10,346.27
versus
M
= 3,126.58), episodes posted on Tuesdays and ursdays, those of national scope (
M
= 10,414.57 versus
M
= 7,721.30),
and those that do not use interrogative titles (
M
= 9,654.42 versus
M
= 7,470.68) are listened to more often (Table 6). Likewise,
the negative correlation between duration and listening volume is maintained: the shorter the podcast, the greater the number
of plays (
Rho
= -.126,
p
= .027).
e deviations are exactly the same as those detected in the case of comments (O
2
). ey are observed in the variable of subject
matter (between politics and the rest of the categories) [
H
(9,
n
=313) =59.647,
p
<.001], current aairs (
U
=4882,
p
<.001),
appearing on Tuesday [
H
(5,
n
=313) =12.376,
p
=.030], and the formulas for writing the title.
e factors that predict the number of views are: (1) political issues (
ß
=.262,
adjusted
R
2
=.107,
p
<.001) and (2) being shorter than
average (
ß
=.134,
adjusted
R
2
=.015,
p
=.019) (Table 7).
3.3.4. Engagement rate (YouTube)
After cultural topics (
M
= 3.91), politics is the thematic category with the highest engagement rate on YouTube
(M
= 3.41)
(Table 6). However, the data on episodes that address cultural issues is not deemed to be relevant due to their low frequency
(n=12, Fr=3.88%).
Almost all the trends present in the previously analysed indicators are repeated: current aairs topics achieve higher rates (
M
= 3.20 versus
M
= 3.07), as do episodes published on Tuesdays (it is relevant that, from this day onwards, the engagement rate
decreases) and those with non-interrogative titles (
M
= 3.60 versus
M
= 2.47). Unlike the previous factors, it is surprising that
issues of international scope achieve higher rates than national ones (
M
= 3.36 versus
M
= 3.14). Duration and engagement rate
are inversely associated (
Rho
= -.267,
p
<. 001).
Finally, no signicant dierences are observed for any variable, except for length (O
2
), so only this last factor is considered for
the study of predictive factors. In this case, a duration below the average contributes to a higher engagement rate
(
ß
=.369,
R
2
adjusted
=.134,
p
<.001) (Table 7).
4. Discussion and conclusions
is study allows the sketching of the central characteristics of the daily news podcast in Spain in its deep dive modality
through consideration of the three main titles posted in the country in 2024. From a thematic point of view, this type of podcast
basically focuses on political, social and economic issues (almost 8 out of 10 episodes in the sample address those topics),
although the single commonest thematic focus is political. Almost three out of four podcasts in the rst half of 2024 address
aspects related to current aairs, which register better values in all engagement indicators on both platforms than episodes
not connected to the news agenda. ose results coincide with previous studies that arm that information needs, rather
than social or emotional needs, may be more relevant motivations for podcast listening (Chan-Olmsted & Wang, 2020; Tobin
& Guadagno, 2022).
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Most episodes deal with issues of national scope and do not use interrogative formulas in their titles. Episodes last an average of
around 18 and a half minutes (18.34). is result conrms that obtained by Martínez Otto
et al.
(2022) in a study carried out on
the same podcasts two years before this study, which seems to point to the existence of a certain stability and standardisation
in the length of this type of programme.
Despite not being a specic tool (nor designed) for podcast consumption, YouTube oers better performance than iVoox in all
the indicators analysed (likes, comments, plays and
engagement
rate). e larger number of plays on YouTube is not surprising
given that it is second among platforms where most podcasts are listened to in Spain, just ahead of iVoox (Statista, 2024). Our
results show that the posting of podcasts on YouTube (only in audio, without the need for an accompanying video) is a relevant
factor in the fostering of such engagement factors. Future research will be able to conrm whether this trend is maintained
in other types of podcasts, apart from the titles studied here. e deviations in the data on the two platforms conrm that, in
the eld of podcasts, the generation of engagement is highly contextual: it may dier depending on the posting platform used.
Previous studies had already demonstrated this contextual nature of engagement depending on the type of user and the sector
analysed, as well as the geographical and sociocultural location of the study (Wahid & Gunarto, 2021). Kim & Yang (2017) for
example found that posts on Facebook which incorporate photographs stimulate the number of likes, but negatively inuence
the volume of comments. In contrast, De Vries
et al.
(2012) and Tafesse (2015) claim that visual content does not aect the
number of likes
and comments. Along similar lines, other studies such as that of Cvijikj & Michahelles (2013) show that the use
of video has no impact on the number of comments on social media platforms.
However, the results of our study show certain coincidences worthy of mention in the engagement
achieved on iVoox and
YouTube, as they point to several trends that remain unchanged regardless of the posting platform analysed (see comparison
of engagement indicators
on iVoox and YouTube at:
https://bit.ly/485OESS
). is is one of the most original contributions of
this research, which measures the same object of study – engagement
– on two dierent platforms. On the one hand, political
topics (in terms of engagement rates
,
politics is second behind social issues), current aairs, national reach (except in the
case of the engagement rate, where international topics perform better on YouTube) and non-interrogative titles receive more
likes, comments, reproductions and higher engagement rates. Although there are hardly any coincidences in the functioning
of the variables with respect to the day of posting, ursday turns out to be the second-best day to receive likes and
comments.
On both platforms, a negative correlation is observed between length and number of likes,
comments and engagement
rates.
Only for that latter variable (engagement rates) is a short duration (below average) a predictive factor both on iVoox and on
YouTube. Likewise, on both platforms, political issues have a statistically signicant impact on the number of likes
and views. It
is therefore observed that addressing political topics is a powerful activator of engagement
in the deep dive daily news podcast
and that the eect of this variable is transversal on several platforms. is fact conrms previous studies that show that “the
specic topics of each episode generate dierences in the level of engagement, therefore it is possible to nd episodes of a
podcast widely commented on by its followers while others go completely unnoticed” (García-Marín, 2020b: 56).
According to our results, the weekend is hardly used to post on either platform and, when it is, engagement gures are very
low. ere do not seem to be any major dierences in the engagement observed between episodes published on dierent
weekdays, although the number of comments received by podcasts published on Tuesday on YouTube is double that of the
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David García-Marín
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| 67
rest of the days. e gure is surprising because episodes released on Tuesdays on iVoox are relatively little commented-on
compared to the rest of the week.
In summary, the results of this work contribute to greater understanding of engagement
and the factors that drive consumption
and participation in podcasts, complementing previous studies focused on other variables. e work of García-Marín (2024)
shows that (1) listening to journalists’ podcasts is associated with age in that those under 45 years of age are twice as likely to
consume news podcasts, and (2) the habit of reading newspapers that produce news podcasts predicts the listening to this
medium for informational purposes. However, previous evidence determines that feelings of gratitude and connection with a
brand also have a statistically signicant positive impact on user engagement in podcasts (Rohden
et al
., 2022). Although they
cannot be considered chat podcasts (Martín-Nieto
et al.
, 2024), the narrative form of daily news podcasts, based on a dialogue
between the presenter and other journalists or experts, helps listeners connect with the programme’s hosts (Perks & Turner,
2018).
Finally, the limitations of this work are to be found in three aspects. Firstly, as is usual in studies of this type, the results may
be inuenced by the period selected (the rst half of 2024), which may have caused certain issues specic to that period to
be somewhat overrepresented. Secondly, although the study focuses on more than one platform, it does not include data
from other actors essential to an understanding of current podcast consumption in Spain, such as Spotify (the aggregator
where most podcasts are listened to over the period observed) or the platforms of the media analysed. Studies of podcast
consumption in those spaces could complement or qualify the results presented here. Finally, our work incorporates variables
almost exclusively focused on the thematic focus of the programs (content, topicality and scope) that could be completed with
research on engagement
focused on other variables of a narrative (genres, openings, intros and outros), expressive (resources
/ eects, tunes, use of music, sex of the participating voices, indicators, etc.) or strategic type (promotion of the newspaper
or design of the covers) (Martínez Otto
et al., 2022).
us, a comprehensive understanding of how engagement occurs in
deep dive daily news podcasts would be achieved, which would help producers who invest in the medium to improve their
connection with the public, reinforce their brand image and enhance the impact of quality audio-based journalism.
5. Acknowledgements
is article has been translated into English by Brian O’Halloran to whom we are grateful for his work.
is work is supported by the Mario Kaplún Educommunication Chair “Today is Tomorrow”, corresponding to the International
Centre for Advanced Studies in Communication for Latin America (CIESPAL).
6. Conict of interest
e author declares that there is no conict of interest contained in this article.
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