News Podcasts Thrive as Radio Claims Top Spots in Triton Report

As monthly podcast consumption swelled nearly 10% last year, radio companies are responsible for the three most popular networks of 2024. Yet as news and talk radio stations fight to keep ratings and advertisers, podcasting is enjoying a news boom.

Triton Digital has released its 2024 US Podcast Report with data sourced from its IAB-Tech-Lab-certified Podcast Metrics service, Omny Studio platform, and the Demos+ survey conducted with Signal Hill Insights, which gathered responses from 12,000 monthly US podcast listeners.

In 2024, 44% of the US population reported listening to a podcast within the past month, up 23% over the past three years These listeners skew younger, more educated, more affluent, and more diverse, positioning podcasts as a key channel for storytelling, entertainment, and current events.

Among platforms, YouTube solidified its position as the leading choice for podcast consumption, capturing 33% of listeners in 2024, up from 27% in 2021. The most popular podcast genres were News, accounting for 25% of downloads, followed by True Crime at 19% and Comedy at 13%.

Demographic insights reveal that True Crime podcasts attract a predominantly female audience (67%), while Comedy and News podcasts are more male-oriented at 61% and 56%, respectively.

The report also showcased the top networks of the year, with iHeart Audience Network ranking #1, SiriusXM Podcast Network at #2, and NPR at #3. SiriusXM was able to maintain its second-place ranking despite ending its participation in Triton’s ranker at the end of September.

NPR News Now remained the most popular podcast of 2024, while Crime Junkie’s SERIAL KILLER: The Alphabet Murders Part 1 was the most downloaded episode. The debut of Bongino Report Early Edition with Evita (Cumulus Podcast Network) claimed the #1 spot for new podcast launches.

Triton Digital SVP of Measurement Products and Strategy Daryl Battaglia said, “2024 marked another year of remarkable growth for the podcast industry, with listenership broadening across demographics and becoming more mainstream than ever.”

“As new audiences dive into podcasts and spend more time listening, fueling deeper engagement, genres like True Crime, Kids & Family, and History drive the highest back catalog consumption, creating untapped opportunities for programmatic advertising. At Triton Digital, we remain dedicated to providing deep insights into listener behavior and platform preferences as this dynamic medium continues to evolve.”

The full 2024 US Podcast Report is available on Triton Digital’s website.