Spotify-exclusive podcast The Joe Rogan Experience is the top podcast in the UK based on total weekly audience reach, according to a new report from market research platform Edison.
The data set marks the official launch of Edison Research’s podcast metric tool in the UK, after announcing that it would be coming in Q3 this year at The Podcast Show. The data used in the ranker is based on a survey conducted in Q2 2023 with 2,273 weekly podcast listeners aged 15 and older in the UK, looking at their listening and purchase behaviour as well as their demographic.
The Joe Rogan Experience podcast was the most popular podcast in both the UK and the US, compared to the top 50 podcasts ranker in the US that Edison released in Q2 2023, however the rest of the list proved to be more different as it featured more UK-based podcasts.
Other podcasts that made it to the top of the list in the UK include independent business podcast The Diary of A CEO with Steven Bartlett, Plosive Productions’ comedy podcast Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster and independent comedy podcast Shagged Married Annoyed, Tall or Nothing’s sports show That Peter Crouch, and Goalhanger’s news and current affairs podcast The Rest is Politics.
News and current affairs podcasts have gained more popularity in the UK in recent years due to the fast-changing political climate and ones that have proved to be popular, according to Edison’s ranker, include BBC Sounds’ Newscast (8), The New York Times’ The Daily (10), and Global and Persephonica’s The News Agents (12). This is similar to the US where news podcasts were also ranked high on the list with podcasts like The Daily, This American Life, and Pod Save America landing in the top 20.
In addition to the top podcasts, other data that the Edison UK podcast metric tool will look at include network reach statistics, demographics of listeners as well as their consumption and purchasing patterns, and show-level information on the top podcasts. Edison uses the same methodology it applies in the US to the UK tool and each quarter, at least 2,000 weekly podcast listeners will be surveyed to update the information.
“It’s here! We are excited to officially launch Edison Podcast Metrics and be the first to present an all-inclusive and comprehensive ranker in the UK,” said Edison Research senior vice president Melissa Kiesche. “We have worked incredibly hard to get to this point and look forward to watching the continued growth of the shows and networks defining the space.”
