Last month, Spotify added a test feature that displays how many users “follow” a specific podcast.
The podcast industry has always been rather ambiguous. Podcasts are not part of a central aggregator that measures success, as Nielsen does for most major television channels.
Podcast networks primarily self-report their ratings to the public. Downloads are only part of the metric that podcast charts use to display their rankings, deferring to opaque algorithms.
Suffice it to say the new Spotify metric is the most transparent measurement yet.
Here are the current metrics, view Bloomberg:
Here are some of my thoughts on the chart:
Joe Rogan is No. 1. No surprise. However, the numbers above mislead readers about his dominance over the rest of the market.
Remember, followers are a distinction from listeners. While 14.5 million people follow Rogan on Spotify, that does not mean 14.5 million people listen to each of his episodes.
Why is that important?
Rogan leads the industry in “occasional” listeners. They come and go, depending on the guest.
The total number of people who listen to a single episode of Rogan’s podcast in a year laps the field. But the number of listeners who consume each of his episodes is closer to the numbers for other podcasts – like “Call Her Daddy,” known for having the most loyal listeners in the space.
Plus, Rogan’s podcast aired exclusively on the Spotify app for the past three and a half years. Spotify just added “The Joe Rogan Experience” back to YouTube and Apple this month. The chart obviously does not take into account followers on Apple, where shows like “The Daily and “The Ben Shapiro Show” are uber popular.
All in all, Joe Rogan is the Podcast King. We concur. But let’s add some context to his reign…
Joe Rogan, Alex Cooper, Bill Simmons.
Next, Spotify acquired The Ringer from Bill Simmons in 2020 for $250 million. Simmons is supposed to be the Joe Rogan of sports.
He isn't. At least, not anymore.
Simmons' numbers are fine. He has 415,000 followers, which puts him third in the sports world behind “New Heights” (938,000) and “Pardon My Take” (465,000).
Furthermore, the rest of the numbers for The Ringer brand are noticeably lower. “The Ryen Russillo Podcast” (151,000) and “The NFL Show” are objectively disappointing.
With the arrival of Colin Cowherd's The Volume and Dan Le Butard's Meadowlark Media, The Ringer appears to have lost its novelty in the world of sports podcasting.
Additionally, “The Pat McAfee Show” has been creeping up on Simmons, who has 365,000 followers despite being best known for YouTube and ESPN.
Finally, no, your new “followers” graph doesn't mean you need to start your own podcast.
There's enough. Seriously, it's exhausting.
Tweet us @burrackbobby_ and let us know your favorite podcasts that you listen to every day.
