Apple unveils most popular podcasts with 2025 year-end charts

Apple announced its most popular podcasts of 2025 on November 18, releasing comprehensive year-end charts that document listenership patterns across multiple categories. The rankings, accessible through the Apple Podcasts app's New tab through year-end, provide data-driven insights into consumption trends alongside editorial selections from Apple's content team.

The 2025 charts include five primary categories. Top Shows ranks podcasts by total listenership volume. Top New Shows identifies breakout programs that debuted during 2025. Most Followed Shows tracks which podcasts gained the most new subscribers. Most Shared Shows measures content distribution through social media and direct sharing features. Top Channels aggregates performance by podcast networks and publishers.

The Joe Rogan Experience claimed the top position in U.S. listenership for 2025, followed by The Daily from The New York Times in second position. The Mel Robbins Podcast secured third place, while Crime Junkie and Dateline NBC completed the top five. SmartLess, Call Her Daddy, This American Life, Huberman Lab, and The Ezra Klein Show rounded out the top ten shows by listenership.

New podcast launches demonstrated strong performance in 2025. Good Hang with Amy Poehler led the Top New Shows category, followed by Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce and investigative series Deadly Mirage. True crime content dominated new show rankings, with five of the top ten new shows focusing on crime investigations including Blink, Murder in the Moonlight, Devil in the Desert, What Happened to Holly Bobo?, and Cold Blooded: Mystery in Alaska.

The Telepathy Tapes emerged as the most shared show of 2025, generating significant social media distribution and word-of-mouth engagement. The series also claimed the top position for both Most Shared Episodes and Top Series categories. Its premiere episode "Unveiling the Hidden World of Telepathic Communication in a Silenced Community" became the most shared individual podcast episode across Apple's platform.

Subscription podcast performance revealed distinct consumption patterns. The Daily topped the subscriber show category, followed by Apple News+ Narrated and The Ezra Klein Show. Unicorn Girl secured fourth position among subscriber shows, while Morbid, Extrasensory, Dateline NBC, Scamtown, Big Time, and The New York Times Narrated completed the top ten subscriber rankings.

Channel rankings highlighted network consolidation in podcast distribution. SiriusXM Podcasts claimed the top channel position by listenership, followed by Wondery and iHeartPodcasts. The New York Times secured fourth position among channels, demonstrating sustained publisher investment in audio content. Audiochuck, Dateline NBC, Dear Media, Cumulus Podcast Network, Audacy, and Vox Media Podcast Network completed the top ten channel rankings.

Individual episode performance tracked specific moments that captured audience attention. The New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce episode featuring Taylor Swift ranked third among top episodes. The Joe Rogan Experience interview with Elon Musk secured fourth position. The Daily's "Trump, Again" episode analyzing election results claimed fifth place among most-listened episodes.

True crime content maintained dominant positions across multiple categories. Crime Junkie's "MURDERED: The Feeney Family" episode ranked second among top episodes. Murder in the Moonlight's "In Cold Blood" episode secured tenth position. The genre's continued strength reflects sustained audience demand for investigative storytelling and real crime narratives.

Health and wellness content demonstrated significant sharing behavior. The Mel Robbins Podcast episode "The Body Reset: How Women Should Eat & Exercise for Health, Fat Loss, & Energy" became the most shared individual episode. The Shawn Ryan Show episode featuring Gary Brecka discussing biohacking ranked fourth among most shared episodes. The Peter Attia Drive episode on women's sexual health and hormone replacement therapy claimed fifth position.

The rankings matter for the marketing community because they document where advertising spending concentrates within podcast ecosystems. Podcast advertising spending surged 26% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2025, with 1,689 brands entering the channel for the first time. Top-ranking shows command premium advertising rates and attract exclusive sponsorship deals that shape platform monetization strategies.

Platform consolidation continues reshaping podcast distribution economics. SiriusXM reported podcast advertising revenue climbing nearly 50% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2025 while securing exclusive distribution agreements with popular true crime and mystery content. The network's top channel ranking on Apple Podcasts validates its strategy of acquiring premium content through exclusive deals.

True crime dominance in Apple's rankings signals where advertising inventory concentrates. Seven of the top ten new shows focused on crime investigations, reflecting genre preferences that drive both listenership and advertising demand. SiriusXM secured exclusive deals with MrBallen and Morbid podcasts specifically to capture this high-value audience segment.

The Most Followed Shows category provides insight into audience growth patterns that determine future advertising scale. The Mel Robbins Podcast topped the most followed rankings, indicating sustained audience expansion beyond single-episode viral moments. The Joe Rogan Experience secured second position, demonstrating continued subscriber acquisition despite established market presence.

New show launches by established media personalities dominated follower acquisition. Good Hang with Amy Poehler and Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce both entered the top five most followed shows despite debuting in 2025. Celebrity-driven podcast launches provide advertisers with built-in audiences and established trust relationships that command premium rates.

Political content showed divergent performance across metrics. The Charlie Kirk Show ranked fourth in follower acquisition, while The MeidasTouch Podcast secured seventh position. The Ezra Klein Show appeared in top ten rankings across multiple categories including Top Shows, Most Shared Shows, Most Followed Shows, and Top Subscriber Shows, demonstrating sustained engagement across both free and paid distribution models.

Health and wellness content demonstrated strong sharing behavior relative to pure listenership. Huberman Lab ranked ninth in top shows while also appearing in most shared shows. The Mel Robbins Podcast secured third position in top shows and first position in most followed shows, indicating particularly effective audience growth relative to competitors.

The rankings document shifts in podcast consumption that affect advertising strategy. Publisher partnerships with technology platforms enable programmatic advertising sales and audience targeting capabilities that didn't exist in earlier podcast ecosystems. Premium publishers including The New York Times appearing in top channel rankings validate editorial investment in audio content.

Apple will announce its Podcast Show of the Year on December 4, providing additional editorial recognition beyond listenership-based rankings. The selection represents Apple's editorial team identifying podcasts that "resonated" with their curatorial standards, according to the announcement.

Best Shows of 2025 collections provide curated recommendations in over 15 markets beyond data-driven rankings. These editorial selections introduce audiences to programs that may not achieve top listenership volumes but demonstrate production quality and storytelling approaches valued by Apple's content team.

The proliferation of limited series demonstrates production strategy shifts. Deadly Mirage, Blink, Murder in the Moonlight, and Devil in the Desert all ranked among both Top New Shows and Top Series categories. This format enables concentrated promotional efforts and complete storytelling arcs that differ from ongoing episodic production models.

Subscription show rankings reveal which podcasts successfully monetize through direct listener payments rather than advertising. The Daily's top position indicates The New York Times effectively converts free listeners into paying subscribers. Apple News+ Narrated securing second position demonstrates bundling strategies where podcast content adds value to existing subscription products.

Network dominance in channel rankings concentrates advertising opportunities within established media companies. SiriusXM, Wondery, iHeartPodcasts, The New York Times, and Audiochuck capturing top five channel positions indicates consolidated podcast production rather than distributed creator ecosystems. This consolidation benefits advertisers seeking scale but potentially limits access for independent producers.

Video podcast integration continues reshaping consumption patterns, though Apple's rankings focus primarily on audio listenership rather than video views. Platforms including YouTube claim 31% of weekly podcast listeners as their preferred listening platform, according to recent industry data, suggesting Apple's rankings capture only partial consumption data.

The timing of Apple's announcement coincides with year-end advertising planning cycles when brands allocate budgets for early 2026 campaigns. Rankings provide advertisers with performance data to inform media buying decisions. Top-ranking shows typically experience increased advertising demand and higher rates following public recognition.

Measurement methodologies for podcast rankings continue evolving across platforms. Apple bases Top Shows on listenership volume without specifying whether downloads, streams, or completion rates determine rankings. Most Followed Shows tracks subscriber additions through Apple Podcasts' follow feature, providing clear growth metrics independent of episode consumption.

Social sharing metrics from Most Shared Shows and Most Shared Episodes categories indicate content resonance beyond passive consumption. The Telepathy Tapes dominating sharing rankings despite not appearing in Top Shows demonstrates viral content distribution patterns that differ from sustained listenership. Advertisers value highly-shared content for brand awareness campaigns even when total audience size remains smaller than established shows.

The rankings exclude podcasts distributed exclusively through other platforms. Shows available only through Spotify, YouTube Premium, or other exclusive distribution agreements don't appear in Apple's data. This limitation means rankings reflect only podcasts choosing multi-platform distribution strategies rather than comprehensive podcast consumption patterns.

Apple Podcasts maintains its position as a major podcast discovery and distribution platform despite competition from Spotify, YouTube, and other services. The comprehensive year-end charts demonstrate continued platform investment in editorial curation and data transparency. Advertisers use these rankings alongside competing platform data to determine optimal podcast advertising allocations across fragmented distribution ecosystems.

Timeline

• November 18, 2025: Apple releases 2025 year-end podcast charts showing The Joe Rogan Experience, The Daily, and The Mel Robbins Podcast as top three shows by listenership
• November 4, 2025: Magellan AI releases Q3 2025 report showing podcast advertising spending surged 26% year-over-year with Gaming industry spending jumping 59%
• November 13, 2025: Washington Post partners with Triton Digital for podcast monetization strategy including programmatic advertising capabilities
• November 10, 2025: iHeartMedia and TikTok announce creator podcast network with up to 25 shows launching in 2026
• October 30, 2025: SiriusXM reports podcast advertising revenue climbed nearly 50% year-over-year in Q3 2025
• October 27, 2025: SiriusXM secures exclusive MrBallen podcast deal starting November 1
• December 4, 2025: Apple will announce Podcast Show of the Year

Summary

Who: Apple announced the rankings on November 18, 2025, documenting performance across millions of podcasts available through its platform. The rankings include data on shows from major networks including SiriusXM Podcasts, Wondery, iHeartPodcasts, The New York Times, and Audiochuck.

What: Apple released comprehensive year-end charts covering five primary categories: Top Shows based on listenership, Top New Shows for 2025 debuts, Most Followed Shows tracking subscriber additions, Most Shared Shows measuring social distribution, and Top Channels aggregating network performance. The rankings also include Top Episodes, Top Series, Top Subscriber Shows, and editorially-curated Best Shows of 2025 collections.

When: The announcement occurred on November 18, 2025. The charts remain accessible through the Apple Podcasts app's New tab through the end of 2025. Apple will announce its Podcast Show of the Year on December 4, 2025.

Where: Charts are localized for audiences worldwide, providing global and regional perspectives on podcast performance. U.S. rankings show The Joe Rogan Experience, The Daily, and The Mel Robbins Podcast as top three shows. Best Shows of 2025 curated collections are available in over 15 markets.

Why: The rankings document listenership patterns that determine advertising pricing and investment allocation within podcast ecosystems. With podcast advertising spending increasing 26% year-over-year in Q3 2025 and nearly 1,700 brands testing the channel for the first time, performance data informs media buying decisions. Platform consolidation by networks including SiriusXM, which reported 50% year-over-year growth in podcast advertising revenue, makes top rankings increasingly valuable for content acquisition and exclusive distribution strategies.