In addition to the higher potential revenues from ads, from the standpoint of the listener, the DVR-like ability to easily skip ads has been built in from the beginning. Similarly, most podcasts have the ads entirely at the beginning or end, making them even easier to ignore (I doubt it will stay this way, though).
I also like the fact that I can download many, many podcasts ahead of time and have a huge library to choose from depending on my mood. The storage costs on modern hardware is negligible.
Lowering costs of high quality audio and editing equipment and software has to be a huge factor.
And let's not forget that a great many (close to all?) podcasts are free!
I do most of my listening in the car so skipping out on ads isn't exactly high priority. And I'll also say that the quality of ads is extremely high on most of the podcasts I listen to. Gruber's podcast and the Accidental Tech Podcast aren't just listing off a random pitch from some random company. They have discussions about the products, they've used the products themselves, most placements include discount codes, and advertisers have to love it. I actually don't mind the ads because they feel engrained into the show, it's a great model.
In addition to the higher potential revenues from ads, from the standpoint of the listener, the DVR-like ability to easily skip ads has been built in from the beginning. Similarly, most podcasts have the ads entirely at the beginning or end, making them even easier to ignore (I doubt it will stay this way, though).
I also like the fact that I can download many, many podcasts ahead of time and have a huge library to choose from depending on my mood. The storage costs on modern hardware is negligible.
Lowering costs of high quality audio and editing equipment and software has to be a huge factor.
And let's not forget that a great many (close to all?) podcasts are free!