Edison Research released the company’s quarterly report of top 50 podcasts, the result of an 8,000-person consumer survey, part of the company’s Podcast Consumer Tracking Report.
Edison’s ranker is notable for its methodology, which differs from server-side measurement of downloads and audience reach. The result is much more range, and the inclusion of successful shows which cannot be measured by client-based measurement service — The Joe Rogan Experience is an obvious example. That show, generally considered the world’s most successful podcast, is distributed exclusively by Spotify, unreachable by technology measurement methods. (It is #1 on Edison’s list.)
In short: Server-side rankers are more exact; consumer surveys have more reach.
But that expanded range doesn’t change the “success breeds success” indicators of all podcast ranking. In the Q3 report just released by Edison, we see only three podcasts which didn’t appear in the Q2 report. (Each quarterly report is blended with the previous three, for a result which encompasses one year of survey responses.)
Below is Edison’s distributed graphic showing the Q3 results (representing Q4 2020 through Q3 2021). Below that is RAIN’s comparison graphic — difficult to read, but clearly illustrative of the governing sameness.
…and below is RAIN’s comparison. The green highlights indicate podcasts that did not appear in the Q2 list.
