Podcast network Sirius XM has retained its place as the number one most popular podcast network in the US by reach, according to new data from Edison Research.
The latest Edison Research ‘US Top Podcast Networks, By Reach’ list ranks the top 30 podcast networks between Q3 and Q4 2022 using data from Edison’s Podcast Metrics measurement service, which looks at weekly podcast listeners aged 13 and up. The percentage of the weekly podcasting audience is calculated according to the producer or network that does the advertising for the show and not according to the platform used to listen to the podcast.
Audio streaming giant Spotify and broadcasting media company iHeartRadio also remained in second and third place respectively in Q4 since the previous quarter. Amazon Music (Including Audible and Wondery) climbed up from sixth place in Q3 to fourth place, replacing podcast platform AudioBoom which dropped to fifth place.
This is likely due to recent advancements that Amazon has made in the podcast market which include partnering with independent podcast company Acast in November 2022 to provide ad-free podcasts for Prime members with no additional costs.
Other changes to the list include non-profit organisation NPR dropping down from fifth place to seventh and Cumulus Podcast Network ninth to 10th while the New York Times climbed up from seventh to sixth place. The New York Times also partnered with Amazon to stream premium episodes ad-free alongside NPR, CNN, ESPN and the full catalogue of Wondery podcasts. Audacy remained unchanged in eighth place.
Lastly, the biggest addition to the list is Acast landing in the top 10 podcast networks by Q4 in ninth place, when it didn’t even make it to the top 30 in Q3. This is potentially due to a number of developments from Acast by the end of last year in podcast advertising which include the release of a keyword-targeting tool and self-serve ad platform.
Acast released its Q4 earnings report recently which showed that the independent company ended on a “positive” note with 35% increase in net sales despite experiencing job cuts in Q3 and continued overall unprofitability.
