Third of US iPod owners now podcasting

The relatively new practice of 'podcasting' is taking hold in the US, according to a recent survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Nearly a third of US adults who own iPods or other types of MP3 players have downloaded podcasts - audio broadcasts, such as radio shows, available on the web which can be downloaded to a computer and then transferred onto a portable audio device.

Young people are leading the way in the adoption of podcasting - a term which comes from combining the words 'iPod' and 'broadcasting'. Nearly half of the 18 to 28-year-olds surveyed who own MP3 players have listened to podcasts compared to 20 per cent of those over 29.

Yet the speed of one's internet connection appears to have little influence on the phenomenon. About 33 per cent of MP3 player owners with broadband have downloaded podcasts compared with 28 per cent of dial-up users.

The findings are based on a recent survey of 2,201 adults living in the US by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.