Political Podcasts surge 28% in U.S. Podcast Ranker ahead of 2024 election

Triton Digital, a leading technology and services provider in the digital audio and podcast industry, released its September 2024 U.S. Podcast Ranker on October 17, 2024. The report, which covers the period from September 2 to September 29, 2024, reveals significant growth in political podcast listenership as the U.S. presidential election draws near.

Key findings on Political Podcasts

• Political podcasts experienced a 28% increase in year-over-year downloads
• Democrat-leaning podcasts maintain majority market share but see slight decline
• Republican-leaning podcasts gain ground, increasing from 23% to 28% of total political podcast downloads
• Independent-leaning podcasts attract highest proportion of Hispanic listeners

According to data from Triton Digital and Signal Hill Insights, political podcasts have seen incremental increases over the last six months, culminating in a 28% year-over-year growth in downloads. This surge comes as no surprise, given the heightened interest in political content leading up to the U.S. presidential election.

While Democrat-leaning podcasts continue to dominate the political podcast landscape, their market share has slightly decreased from 58% to 56% year-over-year. In contrast, Republican-leaning podcasts have gained ground, increasing their share of total political podcast downloads from 23% to 28%.

Demographic insights

The study reveals that political podcast listeners tend to be older, highly educated, and affluent compared to the general U.S. population aged 18 and above:

• 59.7% are college graduates
• 31.9% report a household income exceeding $100,000
• 47.2% are 55 years or older

Republican-leaning podcast listeners, while still affluent and educated compared to the general population, under-index on these attributes when compared to Democrat and Independent-leaning podcast audiences. They also have the highest proportion of White/Caucasian listeners at 89.9%.

Democrat-leaning podcasts have attracted the highest proportion of Black/African American listeners at 17.4%. Independent-leaning podcasts claim the largest share of Hispanic listeners at 16.2%, with 68.2% of their audience being college-educated and 62.4% male.

September 2024 U.S. Podcast Ranker Highlights

Top Sales Networks

1. iHeart Audience Network: 69.2M Average Weekly Downloads, 19.9M Average Weekly Users
2. SiriusXM Podcast Network: 41.6M Average Weekly Downloads, 13.7M Average Weekly Users
3. NPR: 26.1M Average Weekly Downloads, 7.1M Average Weekly Users

Top Podcasts by Downloads

1. NPR News Now (NPR)
2. Up First (NPR)
3. Crime Junkie (audiochuck)

Top Podcasts by Listeners

1. NPR News Now (NPR)
2. Crime Junkie (audiochuck)
3. Up First (NPR)

Notable Debuts and Returns

Several podcasts made their debut or returned to the Top 150 list in September 2024:

Debuts:

• Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard (Wondery)
• So Supernatural (SiriusXM Podcast Network)
• New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce (Wondery)
• The Lincoln Project (Soundrise/Resolute Square)
• NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal (iHeart Audience Network)
• Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (sometimes) (SiriusXM Podcast Network)
• All In With Chris Hayes (NBCUniversal News Group)

Returns:

• Deadline: White House (NBCUniversal News Group)
• This Is Actually Happening (Wondery)
• The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos (iHeart Audience Network)
• The Generation Why Podcast (Wondery)
• Scared To Death (SiriusXM Podcast Network)
• Against The Odds (Wondery)
• The Vanished Podcast (Wondery)

Methodology and definitions

Triton Digital's Podcast Metrics measurement service is certified by the IAB Tech Lab as complying with Version 2.1 of the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines. The U.S. Podcast Ranker is based on a 4-week reporting period from September 2 to September 29, 2024.

Key metrics and definitions:

• Downloads: A unique file request that was downloaded, including complete file downloads, progressive downloads, and partial downloads in accordance with IAB guidelines.
• Users: Individuals who download content for immediate or delayed consumption, identified by a combination of IP address and user agent.
• Active Podcasts: Podcast titles with at least one qualified download during the reporting period.
• New Episodes: The number of new episodes released during the reporting period.

Impact on the podcast industry

The surge in political podcast listenership demonstrates the growing importance of this medium as a source of information and commentary for the American electorate. As the U.S. presidential election approaches, podcasts are playing an increasingly significant role in shaping public opinion and engaging voters.

The diversification of political podcast audiences, particularly the growth in Republican-leaning content and the strong Hispanic listenership for Independent-leaning shows, suggests that the podcast landscape is becoming more representative of the broader political spectrum in the United States.

For advertisers and content creators, these trends present both opportunities and challenges. The increased engagement with political content offers a prime opportunity to reach highly educated and affluent audiences. However, the polarized nature of the current political climate requires careful consideration when developing content and advertising strategies.

As the podcast industry continues to evolve, it will be crucial for stakeholders to monitor these trends and adapt their strategies accordingly. The U.S. Podcast Ranker from Triton Digital provides valuable insights for industry professionals, researchers, and anyone interested in the dynamics of digital audio consumption in the lead-up to a pivotal election year.