YouTube Releases New Weekly Ranking Of Top Podcasts In The U.S.

YouTube announced on Thursday a new podcast ranking feature for the United States. “Podcast Charts” will showcase the top 100 podcasts based on their recent popularity.

Experts agree that this move is part of YouTube’s strategy to compete with Spotify and Apple.

According to the official announcement, users will now be able to visit the YouTube Charts page, featuring a podcast ranking of the most popular shows of the week, which will update every Wednesday.

The page currently features The Joe Rogan Experience, Kill Tony, Rotten Mango, 48 Hours, and The Meidas Touch Podcast on its top 5 podcasts—in that order.

“You can check out YouTube’s Top 100 podcast shows in the US to see where your favorite podcasts rank, or which podcasts you’re really missing out on!” wrote Steve McLendon, Product Manager at YouTube Podcasts.

The ranking will include different genres—such as comedy, sports, news, and true crime—and different podcasters. “Our Weekly Top Podcast Shows chart recognizes and celebrates top podcasters who are redefining the next era of entertainment with engaging, influential, culture-defining shows,” states the document.

YouTube added that the platform has 1 billion active podcast viewers and that, according to Edison Research, YouTube is Americans’ preferred service to listen to podcasts.

According to CNBC, one of the reasons why podcasters prefer the platform is that YouTube offers attractive cost per thousand impressions and cost per mile.

“YouTube just isn’t a place where you drop your content from other sources,” said Ben Meiselas, co-founder of The MeidasTouch Podcast—a show available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple podcasts, Substack, and Patreon. “We want to focus on making YouTube a channel the way people watch cable news.”

This week, YouTube also announced a new AI-powered product to place ads in videos when users are most engaged.