Streaming services have gained much traction amid social restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesians aged 15 to 29 are willing to spend up to two hours listening to podcasts, according to Nielsen’s February – July Consumer and Media View (CMV) report.

“Our focus at the moment is to grow our user base. We don’t have any plan yet for monetization. However, [paid content] is one of our focuses for next year,” Noice chief business officer Niken Sasmaya said in an online press briefing on Tuesday.

She went on to say that the company also planned to hire more talent, develop the technology of its app, expand its content catalog and add more features.

Noice has around 1 million users across Indonesia, most of whom are 18 to 34 years of age and live in big cities like Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung and Makassar.

According to the company’s data, users on average spend more than an hour a day on the app, listening to topics such as comedy, hobby and horror.

Nielsen Indonesia executive director Hellen Katherina said that, while local podcast platform penetration was still low compared with big names like YouTube and Spotify, local content could help the platform reach a large audience.

“Our Radio Audience Measurement survey finds that local content will attract local followers in any city in Indonesia. […] We think podcasts can create opportunities with local content,” she said in an e-mail on Friday.

Meanwhile, Noice CEO Rado Ardian said the company aimed to be the go-to platform for hyperlocal content, which comprises programs delivered in Indonesian and local languages.

“We want to build a sustainable business […] at some point; when we are ready to monetize, we will add a premium feature,” he said, referring to paywalled content.

The company on Tuesday also released its Noice 3.0 app that allows users to access Noice Live, a real-time audio conversation feature.

“We want to put forward engagement and interactivity, because Indonesians love to be a part of a community and part of a conversation,” Rado said.

Along with its newly launched live audio feature, Noice offers four streaming services including radio, audiobooks and podcasts.

Audio-based social forums gained attention in Indonesia in February, when US-based app Clubhouse became a hangout for urban youth and entrepreneurs. Jumping on the bandwagon, streaming behemoth Spotify launched its own audio forum, Greenroom, in June.

Read also: Spotify launches Greenroom, a Clubhouse competitor

According to a report by Deloitte, the global podcast industry could become a US$3.3 billion business by 2025 if the industry “gets better at monetizing” its listener base.

Established in 2018, Noice is part of publicly listed media group PT Mahaka Radio Integra, a company founded by State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir.

Noice recently received an undisclosed amount of funding in its pre-series A round from Alpha JWC Ventures and Gojek’s investment arm Go-Ventures. Noice also previously secured funding from Kinesys Group, Kenangan Fund and angel investors.