Podtrac’s initial analysis of YouTube Engaged Views

Podtrac Reports Podcast Engaged Views vs Views on YouTube

Higher viewer intentionality and engagement with YouTube Podcasts vs other YouTube video types

Today Podtrac provided an initial analysis of the “Engaged Views” vs “Views” metric for video podcasts on YouTube. 

Beginning August 24 2026, YouTube made a change to view metrics.

• “A view is now defined as counting from the very first frame — whether that’s a Short appearing in the feed or a long-form video autoplaying on the Home page.”  “Views” is the metric now displayed publicly next to videos on YouTube.

• “An engaged view is defined as watching past that initial first frame or clicking to watch.” “Engaged Views” are no longer displayed publicly but are available through the YouTube Analytics and Reporting APIs.    

Podtrac collects view activity for hundreds of video podcasts and channels through its access to the YouTube Analytics and Reporting APIs.  

Here’s a summary of Podtrac’s findings about “Views” vs "Engaged Views” for video podcasts on YouTube:

YouTube Podcasts Videos:   Video podcast episodes on a YouTube podcast playlist

Engaged Views:  64% of Views

Other YouTube Podcast Channel Videos:  Podcast-related videos on the podcast’s YouTube Channel

Engaged Views:  58% of Views

Sample Analyzed:  84.2 million views of videos posted to YouTube Podcast Channels, August 27-28, 2026.  

The lower differences in Engaged Views vs Views for video podcasts on YouTube (-36%) than for other videos on a channel (-42%) is consistent with higher intentional viewing and engagement with podcasts on YouTube vs other types of videos posted there.

Podtrac rankings will use the new "Engaged Views” metric for YouTube podcasts. 

July 2026- Top Podcasts, Publishers and Networks

The Top US and Global Multi-Channel Podcast Publishers & Networks and Top US Podcast rankings for July 2026 are now available at www.Podtrac.com.

Highlights of the Top US & Global Publishers & Networks Ranking

• Seven of the US ranking participants were up on US Downloads in July over June.

• Seven of the US rankings participants UMA were up in July over June.

Top US Publishers & Networks Ranking

Top Global Multi-Channel Publishers & Networks Ranking

Top US Podcasts Ranking

Podtrac Introduces Podcast Promo Trades: Free to Any Podcast Worldwide

Podtrac’s Podcast Growth Platform Helps 

American Public Media, Fox Audio Network, New York Public Radio (WNYC & WQXR),

NPR, reVolver Podcasts, SiriusXM, This American Life, and more 

Grow Podcast Audiences

July 14, 2026 - - Podtrac, the leading platform for podcast analytics and growth, today announced that podcasts worldwide can now access new free podcast promo trading features to help grow their shows:  Introducing Podtrac Promo Trades.  

New Podtrac Promo Trades makes it easy for podcasts to trade promos in other podcasts.  The new service with free features is now available to any Podtrac measured podcasts worldwide in the new Podtrac Promo Dashboard at podtrac.com.

Using Podtrac Promo Trades, publishers, networks and individual podcasters can trade a variety of podcast promo formats including:  dynamically inserted promo messages, embedded (“baked-in”) promos, special episodes posted to other podcast feeds, smart links in episode descriptions or YouTube video descriptions, and more.  

Podcast promos are a proven method of growing podcast downloads and audiences.  Listeners hear or click on the promo message, become aware of the promoted podcast, and download it using their favorite podcast app.  Some listeners go on to become audience members of the promoted podcast ongoing.  Offered as an additional optional service, Podtrac tracks response to podcast promos.

Many of the Biggest Names in Podcasting 

Use the Podtrac Promo Platform to Grow Audiences

Podtrac also announced that seven of the biggest names in podcasting, including American Public Media, Fox Audio Network, New York Public Radio (WNYC & WQXR), NPR, reVolver Podcasts, SiriusXM, This American Life and others have chosen the industry-leading Podtrac Promo Platform to help expand their audiences and accelerate growth.

The Podtrac Promo Growth Platform offers podcasters, networks and agency partners data-driven solutions for tracking and optimizing podcast promotions across owned, bartered and purchased media.  The Podtrac Promo Growth Platform includes:  

• Podtrac Smart Links for measuring response to free and paid promotions on digital channels, including social media, newsletters, mobile apps, and websites.

• Audio Promo Tracking for measuring delivery and response to audio promos in other podcasts, including DAI, feed drops, guest appearances and more. 

• And now, new Podtrac Promo Trades, an easy way to trade promos with other podcasts.    

Podtrac Promo Trades is now available to all Podtrac measured podcasts worldwide in Podtrac’s new Promotions Dashboard.  Podtrac Promo Trades includes:

• The ability to request promo trades in other shows, and view their responses.  This service is free to any podcast using free Podtrac Measurement.

• The ability to view inbound trade requests made from other shows.  This service is available in paid Podtrac accounts.  

Podtrac Smart Links and Audio Promo Tracking are available in paid Podtrac accounts, and are offered separately from free Podtrac Promo Trade features, 

To start using Podtrac Promo Trades:

• If your show is already using Podtrac measurement, log into your Podtrac account, click Promotions, then Trades, then start requesting promos in other podcasts.  

• If your podcast is part of a network account, email your network contact or support@podtrac.com to access your account.

• If you’re not yet using Podtrac measurement, register for a free account today, and implement Podtrac’s podcast measurement service so you can start submitting promo trade requests.  

About Podtrac

Podtrac is the industry leader in podcast analytics, audience measurement, and growth solutions.  Since 2005, Podtrac has provided podcasters, networks, and advertisers with the tools and insights needed to grow and engage audiences worldwide.  For more information, visit Podtrac.com.

June 2026- Top Podcasts, Publishers and Networks

The Top US and Global Multi-Channel Podcast Publishers & Networks and Top US Podcast rankings for June 2026 are now available at www.Podtrac.com.

Highlights of the Top US & Global Publishers & Networks Ranking

• Unique monthly audience and total downloads declined for most publishers in June, consistent with the seasonal trends we have observed in prior years.

Top US Publishers & Networks Ranking

Top Global Multi-Channel Publishers & Networks Ranking

Top US Podcasts Ranking

May 2026- Top Podcasts, Publishers and Networks

The Top US and Global Multi-Channel Podcast Publishers & Networks and Top US Podcast rankings for May 2026 are now available at www.Podtrac.com.

Highlights of the Top US Publishers & Networks Ranking

• Three of the US ranking participants were up on US Downloads in May over April.

• Sixteen of the US rankings participants UMA were up in May over April.

Highlights of the Top Global Multi-Channel Publishers & Networks Ranking

• Podtrac’s Global Ranking has been renamed and expanded as Podtrac’s Global Multi-Channel Publishers & Networks Ranking to reflect podcasting’s expanding presence across audio, video, and podcast-related video clips on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

• Additional publishers and networks are added to the ranking. Data for some participating publishers is pending.

• For the first time, the ranking includes podcast-related video clips at the publisher and network level.

• Rankings are determined by downloads and views of full podcast episodes. Podcast-related video clip views are provided as a contextual metric to illustrate podcast audience engagement across short-form video platforms, and they do not determine rank order.  Download and view counts are not a measure of play duration.

Top US Publishers & Networks Ranking

Top Global Multi-Channel Publishers & Networks Ranking

Top US Podcasts Ranking

April 2026- Top Podcasts, Publishers and Networks

The Top US and Global Publishers & Networks and Top US Podcast rankings for April 2026 are now available at www.Podtrac.com.

Highlights of the April rankings

• Six of the US ranking participants were up on US Downloads in April over March.

• Seven of the US rankings participants UMA were up in April over March.

• Four of the Global rankings participants UMA were up in April over March..

• Two of the Global ranking participants was up on US Downloads in April over March..

• Podtrac welcomes The Volume to the rankings.

March 2026 Podtrac Multi-Channel Podcast Ranking

Podtrac’s Top 200 Multi-Channel Podcasts for March 2026 is now available.

Here’s the Top 20:

Highlights of Podtrac's Top 200 Multi-Channel Podcasts for March 2026 include:

• Audio: 200 podcasts (100%) post audio episodes to RSS.

• Audio vs Video Delivery Percent:  140 podcasts (70%) get the majority of their episode delivery in audio, and 60 podcasts (30%) get the majority of their episode delivery in video.

• Audio vs Video By Rank:  For the Top 50 ranked podcasts, total delivery is 56% video and 44% audio.  For podcasts ranked 51 to 200, total delivery is 76% audio and 24% video.

• YouTube and Spotify Video:  127 podcasts (64%) post video episodes to YouTube, 44 podcasts (22%) post video episodes to Spotify.

• By Genre:  Top genres are: News (58), Comedy (35), True Crime (24), Society & Culture (20), Business (17), & Sports (9).

• Podcast Clips:  132 podcasts (66%) post podcast-related video clips to Instagram, 109 podcasts (55%) post clips to TikTok, and 104 podcasts (52%) post clips to YouTube.

• Podcast Clip Delivery:  70 podcasts (35%) get more podcast video clip delivery than podcast episode delivery.

• YouTube Episodes vs Clips:  50% of podcast delivery on YouTube is for views of full episodes, and 50% is for views of podcast-related clips. (Neither stat is a measure of play duration.)  Podcast clip totals are not used to determine podcast rank.

Podtrac's Top 20 Multi-Channel Podcasts for March 2026 

1 - The MeidasTouch Podcast, MeidasTouch Network, News 

2 - The Joe Rogan Experience, Joe Rogan, Comedy 

3 - The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett, FlightStory, Business, +1 

4 - NPR News Now, NPR, News, -1 

5 - The Adam Mockler Show, MeidasTouch Network, News, +5 

6 - The Daily, The New York Times, News 

7 - The Rest Is History, Goalhanger, History, -5 

8 - Penitencia, Sonoro Global Media Corp. , Society & Culture, +3 

9 - Candace, Candace Owens, News, -4 

10 - The Tucker Carlson Show, Red Seat Ventures, News, -1 

11 - Crime Junkie, AudioChuck, True Crime, -3 

12 - 48 Hours, Paramount, True Crime, -5 

13 - IHIP News, PodcastOne, News, -1 

14 - World News Tonight with David Muir, The Walt Disney Company, News 

15 - The Ben Shapiro Show, DailyWire+, News, -1 

16 - Up First from NPR, NPR, News, -1 

17 - The Rest Is Politics, Goalhanger, News, -1 

18 - The Archers, BBC, Fiction, -1 

19 - Dateline NBC, NBC News, True Crime, -6 

20 - The Majority Report with Sam Seder, Sam Seder, News

For the Top 200 with counts per show, subscribe to Podtrac’s new monthly Top 200 Multi-Channel Podcasts.

March 2026- Top Podcasts, Publishers and Networks

The Top US and Global Publishers & Networks and Top US Podcast rankings for March 2026 are now available at www.Podtrac.com.

ALSO NOW AVAILABLE: New Top Podcasts by Country rankings for 35 countries. Visit Podtrac.com to view all rankings and to register to receive updates.

Highlights of the March rankings

With the shorter month in February, Month-Over-Month growth was positive for every publisher in both audience and downloads.  Top 20 total downloads grew +11.7% MoM.  Standouts were Paramount whose audience was up 21% and downloads were up 25% MoM, and This American Life whose audience was up 22% and downloads were up 31% MoM.  Podtrac welcomes Versant to the rankings.

February 2026 - Podtrac Multi-Channel Podcast Ranking

Podtrac’s Top 200 Multi-Channel Podcasts for February 2026 is now available.

Here’s the Top 20:

Highlights of Podtrac's Top 200 Multi-Channel Podcasts for February 2026 include:

• Audio: 200 podcasts (100%) post audio episodes to RSS.

• Audio vs Video Delivery Percent:  146 podcasts (73%) get the majority of their episode delivery in audio, and 54 podcasts (27%) get the majority of their episode delivery in video.

• Audio vs Video By Rank:  For the Top 50 ranked podcasts, total delivery is 51% video and 49% audio.  For podcasts ranked 51 to 200, total delivery is 77% audio and 23% video.

• YouTube and Spotify Video:  122 podcasts (61%) post video episodes to YouTube, 44 podcasts (22%) post video episodes to Spotify.

• By Genre:  Top genres are: News (54), Comedy (35), True Crime (24), Society & Culture (19), Business (16), & Sports (11).

• Podcast Clips:  129 podcasts (65%) post podcast-related video clips to Instagram, 103 podcasts (52%) post clips to TikTok, and 91 podcasts (46%) post clips to YouTube.

• Podcast Clip Delivery:  65 podcasts (33%) get more podcast video clip delivery than podcast episode delivery.

• YouTube Episodes vs Clips:  57% of podcast delivery on YouTube is for views of full episodes, and 43% is for views of podcast-related clips. (Neither stat is a measure of play duration.)  Podcast clip totals are not used to determine podcast rank.

Subscribe to get Podtrac’s new monthly Top 200 Multi-Channel Podcasts with counts.  Introductory offer available for a limited time.  

Monthly Insights from Podtrac’s Top 200 Multi-Channel Podcasts to help you plan better for your podcast or brand:

• For Advertisers:

• Identify the top podcasts across distribution channels, overall and by category

• Optimize engagement opportunities unique to each show and platform

• For Publishers:

• Understand and monitor distribution benchmarks by channel by genre

• Identify improvement areas for expanding reach and monetization opportunities

• For everyone else who needs to know:

• Understand the extent of multi-channel podcast engagement across platforms

• Plan and optimize multi-channel formats and distribution

Subscribe today to Podtrac’s new monthly Top 200 Multi-Channel Podcasts.

Podtrac's Top 200 Multi-Channel Podcasts for February 2026 

1 - The MeidasTouch Podcast, MeidasTouch Network, News

2 - The Joe Rogan Experience, Joe Rogan, Comedy

3 - The Rest Is History, Goalhanger, History

4 - NPR News Now, NPR, News

5 - The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett, FlightStory, Business

6 - Candace, Candace Owens, News

7 - The Daily, The New York Times, News

8 - 48 Hours, Paramount, True Crime

9 - Crime Junkie, AudioChuck, True Crime

10 - The Tucker Carlson Show, Red Seat Ventures, News

11 - The Adam Mockler Show, MeidasTouch Network, News

12 - Penitencia, Sonoro Global Media Corp., Society & Culture

13 - IHIP News, PodcastOne, News

14 - Dateline NBC, NBC News, True Crime

15 - The Ben Shapiro Show, DailyWire+, News

16 - Up First from NPR, NPR, News

17 - The Rest Is Politics, Goalhanger, News

18 - The Archers, BBC, Fiction

19 - On Purpose with Jay Shetty, iHeartPodcasts, Health & Fitness

20 - The Mel Robbins Podcast, SiriusXM, Education

Below is a re-post of the January 2026 - TOP PODCASTS, PUBLISHERS AND NETWORKS to our historical blog (previously posted on February 5, 2026).

The Top US and Global Publishers & Networks and Top US Podcast rankings for January 2026 are now available at www.Podtrac.com.

ALSO NOW AVAILABLE: New Top Podcasts by Country rankings for 35 countries. Visit Podtrac.com to view all rankings and to register to receive updates.

Highlights of the January 2026 rankings include:

• Fourteen of the US rankings participants UMA were up in January over December.

• Twelve of the US ranking participants were up on US Downloads in January over December.

• Six of the Global rankings participants UMA were up in January over December.

• Four of the Global ranking participants were up on US Downloads in January over December.