Podscribe Releases October 2026 Podcast Rankings: Spotify Leads Publishers, and Quince Tops Advertiser Spend

Podscribe, an independent, IAB-certified omnichannel advertising measurement platform, today released its October 2026 Podcast Rankings, highlighting the top podcasts, publishers, and advertisers across the industry.

October’s rankings reveal notable shifts in podcast consumption and advertising investment. Crime Junkie and The Daily continue to lead in audio reach. On the publisher side, Spotify maintains its lead across both rankings, while iHeartMedia sees significant growth in monthly plays. Among advertisers, Quince claims the top spot in estimated podcast ad spend, and SimpliSafe makes a notable move up the rankings.

Top Podcasts: Crime Junkie Maintains Its Lead

Crime Junkie continues to dominate podcast audio reach with approximately 16.4 million listeners, followed by The Daily at 8.7 million. Pod Save America (5.0M) and The Joe Rogan Experience (4.7M) each climb one position to #3 and #5, respectively, while NPR News Now jumps three spots to #4 with 4.8 million in audio reach.

Meanwhile, This American Life (#8, 1.2M) and The Daily (#10, 1.2M) enter the top 10 for plays per episode.

In total monthly plays, the top three remain unchanged:

• #1: The MeidasTouch Podcast — 61.2M
• #2: The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett — 48.1M
• #3: The Daily — 39.1M

Rumble also makes a notable appearance in October’s rankings, with Louder with Crowder (#8, 20.6M) and The Dan Bongino Show (#9, 20.0M) entering the top 10 by monthly plays. The majority of consumption for both shows comes from Rumble, highlighting the importance of measuring podcast audiences across audio and video platforms.

Top Publishers: Spotify Holds the Lead as iHeartMedia Gains Momentum

Spotify continues to lead both publisher rankings, reaching 69.1 million in audio reach and 304.4 million monthly plays in October.

SXM Media climbs to #2 in audio reach with 45.7 million, following a 17% increase.

One of the largest gains comes from iHeartMedia, which jumps three positions from #9 to #6 in monthly plays. The publisher records a 63% increase to 177.4 million monthly plays, marking a significant month-over-month gain.

NPR also sees growth across both metrics, moving up one position to #7 in audio reach (22.0M). The publisher additionally enters the top 10 for monthly plays at #10, following an 8% increase to 99.3 million.

These movements highlight continued competition among major podcast publishers as audiences consume content across an expanding mix of platforms.

Top Advertisers: Quince Claims #1 as SimpliSafe Sees Rising Investment

Quince took the top spot among podcast advertisers in October, increasing estimated ad spend by 23% to \$6.7 million.

Shopify and BetterHelp also move up the rankings, each gaining one position to #3 (4.7M) and #4 (4.4M), respectively, despite a decline in estimated spend for Shopify.

DraftKings returns to the top 10 at #10, with an estimated \$2.6 million in podcast ad spend, representing a 4% increase from the previous month.

Among rising advertisers, SimpliSafe records the largest dollar increase in estimated spend, adding \$1.2 million in October. This growth brings its estimated investment to \$3.4 million, placing the home security brand at #7 on the overall top advertisers chart.

October’s results reflect continued investment from established podcast advertisers alongside brands increasing their presence in the channel.

Explore Podscribe’s October 2026 Rankings

Podscribe’s monthly rankings provide visibility into podcast audience reach, consumption, publisher performance, and estimated advertiser spending. By tracking trends across audio and video platforms, the rankings help advertisers, agencies, and publishers better understand the evolving podcast landscape.

Explore the full October 2026 rankings:

• Top Podcasts [https\://podscribe.com/podcast-rankings/october-2026]
• Top Publishers [https\://podscribe.com/top-publishers/october-2026]
• Top Advertisers [https\://podscribe.com/top-advertisers/october-2026]

About Podscribe

Podscribe is an independent, IAB-certified omnichannel advertising measurement platform helping advertisers, agencies, and publishers measure, verify, and optimize advertising performance. With solutions spanning podcasts, streaming audio, radio, YouTube, CTV, and other digital channels, Podscribe provides actionable insights to help brands make smarter advertising decisions.

Learn more at www.podscribe.com or contact us at marketing@podscribe.com.