Spotify is on the verge of overtaking Apple podcasts in glob...

Spotify is on the verge of overtaking Apple podcasts in global user numbers, according to an analysis by eMarketer. Back in 2019, another study showed that Spotify had overtaken Apple (AAPL.O) in podcasting listeners in South America and Europe. Spotify is expected to reach 28.2 million users by the end of 2021, according to eMarketer's latest analytics data. By comparison, Apple Podcasts should have 28 million users by the end of the year. That's a small gap, but still enough to put Spotify at the top. The study also showed that about 40 percent of U.S. Internet users listen to podcasts at least once a month, and that number is expected to grow to 45 percent by 2024. In addition to Apple and Spotify, YouTube and Google are also emerging as popular platforms for PODcasters in the US. $Spotify Technology (SPOT.US)$ $Apple (AAPL.US)$ $Alphabet-C (GOOG.US)$