Tune in—how podcasts are building communities in India

Podcasts are everywhere. From morning commutes to bedtime routines, they have seamlessly woven into our daily lives. In India alone, an astounding 1,200 new episodes drop each day across a variety of genres and languages. Actors, entrepreneurs, sportspersons, musicians, self-help gurus, health professionals—everybody has a podcast. The format is so ubiquitous that people are engaging with it in every way: listening to podcasts, watching videos of the podcasts, and watching fictional shows about podcasters. For instance, Netflix’s super-successful show, Nobody Wants This and Disney+ Hotstar’s Only Murders in the Building both have podcasts at the heart of the shows. 

Why podcasts are widely consumed

India is the third-largest podcast market globally after China and the US. But what makes approximately 58 million Indians consume podcasts so avidly? Primarily, it’s the ease of accessibility and listening. You download your episode, and you're done. You can have it on in the background while on the move, working out, or watching it on YouTube (a growing trend with podcasts). All this for free or for a very small subscription fee.

But beyond convenience, the allure of podcasts runs deeper—offering both intellectual engagement and a sense of community. As New York-based studio owner and podcast producer Shaun Johnsen said, “The accessibility of both creating and consuming podcasts is what makes them so popular.” But the most striking reason that both hosts and listeners cited was the need to be a part of something, a community-like feeling. In podcasting, it comes in many forms—however mainstream or obscure your interests, there’s a podcast out there for you. There are some with mass appeal like Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul, comedian Trevor Noah’s What Now? or closer to home WTF is by Nikhil Kamath. For some enterprising hosts, unknown or semi-famous prior to their chart-topping podcasting days, their new status has resulted in business ventures, books, and talking tours—Dr Rangan Chatterjee and his podcast Feel Better, Live More is the perfect example of this.

The psychology of podcast

But then there are podcasts you go to for perhaps delving deeper into a niche hobby. As Cyrus Broacha, host of the podcast Cyrus Says elaborated, “Custom-made entertainment is everywhere… People can just get to things that they find interesting… you don’t have to listen to everything. You just find the thing you like.” Education consultant Sreeja Nedungadi agrees, “Podcasts are an easy way to learn more about topics from history and science to nutrition and psychology. They (listeners) come away with simple titbits of information.” Fashion entrepreneur Pernia Qureshi started her podcast Fashionably Pernia after spotting a gap in the Indian market for a podcast in the fashion, luxury, and lifestyle genre, “It’s an invitation into the world of luxury and fashion in India,” she explains.

For every niche deep-dive, there’s an equally popular genre: the effortless, free-flowing banter among friends, where listeners feel like part of the inner circle. “Having Said That (HST) is a show best described as fun. We aren’t purporting to be educational or informative. We want our viewers to feel like our friend group,” says Aman Nathani one of the hosts of the podcast.

And it’s in this area that podcasts actually succeed—they give us what we all crave: connection. Rania Vayani, a strategist and copywriter says, “They mimic the intimacy of a conversation even when we’re just listening. There’s something deeply personal about hearing someone’s voice sharing stories, opinions, or ideas. It feels less like content and more like connection.” And for all those who say, not another podcast! The overwhelming response: they are here to stay!

Also read: Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Grammy Awards

Also read: Renting is the new, flexible way to invest in art this year