Top podcasts: video vs audio trends

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• Podtrac launched a new, global, multi-channel podcast ranker that measures podcast consumption across media platforms and content types - including, for the first time, video clips in Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
  • The number 1 is The MeidasTouch Podcast, which appears to see around 43% of its consumption via video clips, rather than full-length podcasts. Joe Rogan is at #2, with roughly equal consumption in audio and video, but just 9% of its consumption via video clips. And, despite poor video figures, The Rest Is History makes it to #3. The data also makes it clear where video is missing: such as The Daily from the New York Times, or Up First from NPR, which deliver virtually all their consumption via audio podcast.
  • For the top 50 ranked podcasts, total delivery is 51% video and 49% audio; but the percentage of video consumption falls away quickly lower down the chart. There's (slightly) more plays of clips on YouTube (53%) than there are full podcasts.
  • All the data measures total downloads/streams/views, not duration. The data is partly actual data reported by the platforms, and partly estimations. Access to the full 200 is available on subscription. Video clips are rarely monetised in the same ways as full shows.
• The Australian Podcast Ranker was released for December. Hamish & Andy remain #1, with The Grade Cricketer jumping into the top 5 (coinciding with The Ashes, a series of cricket matches, during the month). The ranker's Demos+ data suggests that 12% of monthly podcast listeners enjoy Health & Fitness content, and 35% of those are planning to buy gym memberships or fitness equipment in the next year.
  • Pop culture podcast Shameless - previously #4 - has left the ranker, coinciding with a shift to full video episodes. Video podcasts on Spotify or YouTube cannot be measured by logfile analysis tools like the Australian Podcast Ranker (or prefix analysis tools like Podtrac). Even audio listens become entirely hosted by Spotify and can no longer be measured on a like-for-like basis.
  • The ranker, calculated by Triton Digital, is administered by CRA. They gave Podnews a long statement, suggesting that "individual participation shifts don't change the fundamental value" of the ranker, and highlighting that they are "constantly ... reviewing video podcast measurement for inclusion when we find tested, validated and best practice approaches. Video is new and moving fast, requiring measurement to be rigorous and accurate."
• Magellan AI released its rankings for top podcast advertisers in the US. Wifi-enabled photo frame Aura Frames spent $7.1mn in December, just beating Amazon's $7mn or T-Mobile's $6.8mn. IBM showed the biggest increase, dropping $2.6mn into podcasts.

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