Hello everyone! Let’s dive into the latest shakeup in the podcasting world. Tucker Carlson has managed to topple Joe Rogan from his long-held position as the king of Spotify podcasts. For years, “The Joe Rogan Experience” has been the most listened-to podcast on Spotify, ever since it arrived on the platform back in 2020. Even though exact subscriber numbers were never officially shared, it was known to be hugely popular.
Fast forward to February 2024, Rogan signed a new multiyear deal with Spotify, which was rumored to be worth up to a whopping $250 million! This new deal marked a significant change—it allowed his show to air on other platforms, ending the exclusive part of their agreement.
But this week, new podcast charts unveiled by Spotify reveal a surprising shift. Rogan’s podcast has dropped to the second spot, making way for “The Tucker Carlson Show” to take the lead. Carlson, the conservative commentator, launched his show on the Tucker Carlson Network in December, just months after his exit from Fox News in April 2023.
Rounding out the top five podcasts are Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy,” “Cancelled with Tana Mongeau and Brooke Schofield,” and “The Dan Bongino Show.” This change in rankings is no small feat considering that Rogan’s subscriber count was reported at 14.5 million in March, with TED Talks Daily and “Call Her Daddy” trailing behind.
So, how did Bloomberg come by these numbers? Spotify has been quietly testing a new feature on its mobile app, allowing users to see follower numbers displayed as swipeable previews of episodes. While these subscriber counts are impressive, Spotify points out that they don’t necessarily reflect the total audience or episode performance.
Joe Rogan has also built a massive following outside of Spotify. His YouTube channel boasts 17 million subscribers, his Instagram account has 19.2 million followers, and on X (formerly Twitter), he has 12.6 million followers. In comparison, Carlson has 2.6 million YouTube subscribers and 13.3 million followers on X, with 3.9 million on Instagram.
It’s clear that social media reach plays a significant role in the traffic podcasts attract, often extending far beyond Spotify’s subscriber metrics. Moreover, many podcasts are shared across multiple platforms, further boosting their listener numbers.
However, Rogan’s journey hasn’t been without controversy. In January 2022, Neil Young led a boycott against Spotify over Rogan’s alleged COVID-19 misinformation. Despite calls from various artists and healthcare professionals, Spotify decided to keep Rogan’s show but added content advisories to episodes discussing COVID-19. Young eventually pulled his music from Spotify but returned in March 2023, citing the broader availability of Rogan’s show on other platforms as his reason.
In a recent podcast, Rogan humorously acknowledged Young’s return to Spotify, noting that the musician’s reason was that other platforms now also carry Rogan’s content.
So there you have it, folks! Tucker Carlson has now claimed the top spot on Spotify, dethroning Joe Rogan. This dynamic shift in the podcasting world certainly keeps things exciting, and it will be interesting to see how these rankings evolve in the future.
