Podtrac: Most Podcast Publishers See Month-Over-Month Growth
Reporting its podcast data for the month of October, Podtrac says most publishers realized increases in audience (as well as downloads and plays) from September to October 2026 for both 
the U.S. and Global Multi-Channel rankings. For the U.S., this includes iHeart Audience Network seeing a 12% increase in audience; iHeart Podcasts – 10% increase in audience; Fox Audio Network – 9% increase in audience; and NPR Sales Network – 9% increase in audience. In the Global Multi-Channel Publisher & Network Ranking, FOX Audio Network saw an 18% increase in downloads, views and plays; PRX – 18% increase in downloads, views and plays; and iHeart Audience Network – 3% increase in downloads, views and plays.
by more than 2 million people nationwide on a weekly basis. “The World” executive producer Dan Lothian says, “We’re delighted to welcome people from Florida, Wisconsin, Nevada, Ohio, Iowa, New York, Michigan, Illinois, and Kansas to the hundreds of communities listening to The World’s global coverage. As we reach this exciting audience milestone, we remain committed to bringing all our listeners nuanced coverage of the most critical global issues of the day, fueling informed conversations about international affairs.”
According to Podtrac’s latest stats, the average U.S. “Unique Monthly Audience” for the Top 20 publishers dipped 3% month-to-month, but improved by that same percentage compared to June 2022. “Total Global Downloads” for the Top 20 publishers remained steady month-to-month; however, it declined 3% versus this time last year. The combined audience for the Top Sales Networks was up 5% month-to-month. The top ten podcasts by US Unique Monthly Audience (June 2023) are: “The Daily” (New York Times); “Dateline NBC” (NBC News); “Morbid” (Wondery); “Up First” (NPR); “NPR News Now” (NPR); “SmartLess” (Wonderly); “The Ben Shapiro Show” (Daily Wire); “Stuff You Should Know” (iHeartPodcasts); “Pardon My Take” (Barstool Sports); and “The Dan Bongino Show” (Dan Borgino). With a US “Unique Monthly Audience” of 31,625,000 (and 833 active shows), iHeartPodcasts is the top podcast publisher. It is followed by Wondery; NPR; NBC News; New York Times; Daily Wire; The Walt Disney Company; Barstool Sports; Vox Media; and PRX.