The Triton Australian Podcast Ranker was released today, which is an opt-in exercise commissioned by Commercial Radio and Audio (CRA). According to it just one podcast in the top 20 is not Australian, The Daily, from the New York Times, with local sales representation through ARN iHeart (see below).
This is an excellent demo that there is a massive audience for locally made news, sports, society and culture, comedy and true crime content but, over the last year as podcasts switch platforms, publishers and sales representation, many that were and should be at the top have vanished.
Take for example The Mel Robbins podcast (pictured), published through the American SiriusXM Podcast Network with local sales representation through LiSTNR (SCA). It was No 1 on the ranker for the first half of this year until SiriusXM decided they didn’t want to opt in anymore. In March Mel had a million more monthly listeners than Hamish and Andy in September. LiSTNR will have those numbers still to share with potential advertisers, but unfortunately on the public facing ranker, we do not.
Then there’s Casefile True Crime, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in January 2026 and with a host, Casey, who remains anonymous with the total buy in to that from a very loyal audience (including myself). Locally made and produced, at the end of last year the podcast and its 80 million annual listens, signed with Acast. Acast too chooses not to opt into the ranker, with the one exception of Australian True Crime, at No 21 in September, as you can see above. Casefile, pre 2025, was usually in the top 3 of the ranker.
I had thought, when NOVA Entertainment announced an exclusive Australian partnership with FlightStory, home to The Diary of a CEO podcast brand in July, that we might see Steven Bartlett‘s podcast debut at No 1 on the Ranker too. That hasn’t happened either although, like LiSTNR and Mel Robbins, Nova will certainly have its numbers.
Finally there’s The Joe Rogan Experience, the US podcast regarded as perhaps the most listened to globally. Published exclusively through Spotify, but with Rogan able to now share the podcast on other platforms, it has never been seen on our Ranker at all.
With it looking like Life Uncut, hosted by Brittany Hockley and Laura Byrne and No 7 on this month’s ranker, will become a LiSTNR podcast soon, after the announcement last week that the podcast was parting ways with ARN iHeart, I thought I might look to Podtrac for a different top 100 Australian podcasts including some of the major players mentioned above:
The above is a top 20, but you can find the top 100 here. Half are not local, including the top 3. Joe Rogan is No 1. Diary of a CEO No 2 and No 3, one of THREE podcasts for UK independent podcast producer Goalhanger in the 20, was The Rest is History. I noticed it, and Mel Robbins are touring Australia in the coming months.
Based on Podtrac, the No 1 Australian podcast is Mamamia Out Loud, also an independent production. And the multiplatform approach is working for SEN in football finals as they have two podcasts in the top 20. SEN Breakfast was, on both rankers, the No 1 radio catch up podcast.
On that SEN CEO Craig Hutchison said:
“We’re incredibly proud of the SEN Breakfast team and the connection they’ve built with audiences across the country. To be #1 in such a competitive field is a testament to the talent, authenticity and passion they bring to the mic every morning. This result also reflects the growing appetite for sports-led conversation and analysis in the podcast space.”
Outside of ABC Conversations, the only other radio tied in podcast in the top 20 was Life Uncut, with Brittany and Laura also hosting The Pick Up on the KIIS Network. They would be a significant loss to ARN and a further sign of SCA’s appreciation of talent who have their fingers in several pies. Bringing Lu and Jarch, also podcasters together, over from Nova to Triple M has worked for the network.
But Life Uncut and any move to SCA is not yet locked and loaded. A spokesperson for the network said:
“The LiSTNR team are always in discussions with the biggest and best podcasts from Australia and around the globe. Any announcements about new signings will be made at the appropriate time.”
That might be at SCA’s general meeting, which is to be held on Monday November 24. But there’s rather a lot going on that day so we’ll just have to wait and see.
Jen Seyderhelm is a writer, editor and podcaster for Radioinfo. Email: [email protected]