comScore today released the results of a study profiling the “iTunes podcasting audience”. The study, sponsored by mobile advertising service Ad Infuse, focused on users who downloaded podcasts via iTunes in October 2006. It found the podcast audience to an attractive demographic for advertisers, with a core audience of high-income, well-educated people.

Research Highlights:

• Males represented a significantly larger share (63 percent) of the audience than did females (37 percent).
• 18-24 year olds represented a substantial share of the audience (29 percent) and were more than twice as likely as the average Internet user to download podcasts.
• People between the ages of 35-54 represented about half of the podcasting audience and were also more likely than average to download podcasts.

“The comScore study reveals significant advertising opportunities among several consumer segments,” said Nick Tabbal, comScore senior vice president of media and entertainment solutions. “While the conventional wisdom says that only young, tech-savvy consumers are downloading and listening to podcasts, there is also a sizable market among 35-54 year olds, indicating that the audience is broader than previously thought.”

Podcast Audience Is High-Income, Well-Educated Consumer Segment

comScore also examined the household income and education levels of the iTunes podcasting audience, revealing that consumption of podcasts increased with both income and education. In particular, those individuals in households making at least $100,000 annually were 28 percent more likely than average to download podcasts, while college graduates were 25 percent more likely.

“Since many of the top podcasts are in the educational and business genres, it’s not surprising that podcasts today appeal to the more educated and higher-income consumer segments,” added Mr. Tabbal. “Because these core audiences represent highly desirable consumer segments, it’s probably just a matter of time before significant advertising dollars begin to flow toward this medium.”