Media Monitors' POD Rank Shows Strong 2Q For iHM

The iHeartPodcast Network had a strong Q2, surging to the highest total number of podcasts for a publisher since Media Monitors began measurement of podcasts in 2020. 

Likely due to their multi-pronged approach of releasing new podcasts like Drama Queens (#11) and The Office Deep Dive with Brian Baumgartner (#170), new seasons for old-staples like The Ron Burgundy Podcast (#46), and podcast versions of their radio programs including The Bobby Bones Show (#66) and The Breakfast Club (#32).

NPR remained consistent this quarter with 12 podcasts in the Top 200 including Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! (#53), and Throughline (#81). Spotify owned Parcast Network also had a strong quarter primarily due to their slate of True Crime podcasts including: Medical Murders (#138), Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories (#58), and International Infamy with Ashley Flowers (#194).

The Media Monitors Podcast Listener survey was fielded between June 14th and 30th, 2021. Participants aged 18+ were screened on whether they had listened to a podcast in the last 7 days, then asked to list the podcast titles. Participants were encouraged to consult their podcast app of choice during the survey. These unassisted responses were then individually matched back to unique RSS feeds which were polled to collect information about genre and publisher.