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Benzinga
Benzinga
Entertainment
Chris Katje

Joe Rogan's Trump Podcast Episode Couldn't Land Him Top Spot On Apple

Joe Rogan's podcast is among the most listened to in the world but for Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) users, the podcaster ranked third in 2024, despite having one of the most listened to episodes with his Donald Trump interview before the 2024 election.

What Happened: Rogan renewed a multi-year deal with Spotify Technology (NYSE:SPOT) earlier this year, which comes after four years of exclusivity with the music company and huge listener figures put up year after year.

Unlike past agreements with Spotify, Rogan's podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience" is no longer exclusive to Spotify and Rogan is free to share episodes on other platforms like Apple, Amazon and YouTube, the video platform owned by Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL).

Some listeners love the video aspect that shows Rogan and the interviewee, so videos and clips on YouTube have often generated millions of views.

Rogan's interview with Trump before the 2024 election has 51 million views on YouTube, compared to Rogan's 18.6 million YouTube subscriber figure. Interviews with J.D. Vance and Elon Musk before the 2024 election each have 18 million viewers.

While Rogan will likely rank as the top listened-to podcast on Spotify, the same can't be said for Apple podcasts. Apple recently shared its list of top podcast rankings for 2024.

Here are the top shows on Apple podcasts:

  1. The Daily
  2. Crime Junkie
  3. The Joe Rogan Experience
  4. Dateline NBC
  5. SmartLess
  6. Huberman Lab
  7. This American Life
  8. New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
  9. Up First From NPR
  10. Morbid

While many consider Rogan the new media, he failed to beat out the podcast from legacy media company The New York Times Company (NYSE:NYT), which is behind "The Daily." The show, hosted by Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise, lasts around 20 minutes a day, five days a week.

"Crime Junkie," a weekly true crime podcast, also surpassed Rogan on Apple's year-end rankings.

"The Tucker Carlson Show" ranked first as the top new show on Apple podcasts.

Rogan's interview with Trump, titled #2219, ranked as the second top episode for Apple, trailing the Crime Junkie episode "SERIAL KILLER: The Alphabet Murders Part 1." The episode was also the fifth most shared Apple podcast for the year.

Tucker Carlson held the title for the most shared podcast episode with “Calley & Casey Means: The Truth About Ozempic, the Pill, and How Big Pharma Keeps You Sick.”

A "Call Her Daddy" podcast episode with presidential candidate Kamala Harris was the year’s ninth most shared Apple podcast episode.

Did You Know?

Why It's Important: The podcast rankings are only for Apple, and Rogan will likely top the Spotify annual list when it is released before the end of the year. No longer being exclusive could allow Rogan’s content to be accessed from multiple platforms, potentially broadening his audience while distributing viewership and listenership across various channels.

Despite being the most followed show on Apple Podcasts, “The Joe Rogan Experience” did not secure the top spot in the platform’s year-end rankings. This outcome is unexpected, especially considering the podcast’s high-profile guests, including former President Donald Trump.

While ‘The Daily’ releases five episodes a week, Rogan typically puts out four. However, Rogan's interviews are significantly longer, often lasting several hours, compared to the shorter format of ‘The Daily.’

Rogan’s ranking among the top-listened-to podcasts on multiple platforms and generating millions of views on YouTube show that his popularity is not slowing down.

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Photo: Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock.com

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