Podcast Corner: Apple and Spotify reveal top shows for 2023
Joe Rogan of "Question Everything" attends Syfy 2013 Upfront at Silver Screen Studios at Chelsea Piers on April 10, 2013 in New York City.
The 'best ofs' and end-of-year lists are rolling out and podcasts are no different, with Apple and Spotify, the two biggest platforms, recently revealing their respective top 10 shows of the year.
1. The Joe Rogan Experience
2. Call Her Daddy
3. Huberman Lab [health podcast with Andrew Huberman]
4. Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain
5. On Purpose with Jay Shetty
6. Crime Junkie
7. This Past Weekend with Theo Von
8. Serial Killers
9. The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
10. TED Talks Daily
1. Crime Junkie
2. The Daily
3. Dateline NBC
4. SmartLess
5. This American Life
6. Morbid
7. Up First
8. Huberman Lab
9. Hidden Brain
10. Stuff You Should Know
1. My Therapist Ghosted Me
2. Crime World
3. The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett
4. The David McWilliams Podcast
5. The Tommy, Hector & Laurita Podcast
6. The Indo Daily
7. The Stand with Eamon Dunphy
8. Spencer & Vogue
9. Doc on One
10. The Laughs of Your Life with Doireann Garrihy
As you might expect, true crime, general information, and chat feature across the lists in one way or another. And of course, Vogue Williams’ and Joanne McNally’s all-conquering My Therapist Ghosted Me is top in Ireland. They’re fresh off four nights at Dublin’s 3Arena.
You often hear about viral or word-of-mouth podcast hits - but MTGM is a podcast sensation. It’s a simple formula but not so easily replicated.
As for Spotify’s general list, it’s clear to see how star-driven it is. Joe Rogan and ‘controversy’ have gone hand in hand for years and yet it never seems to affect his standing at the top of the charts.
His $200m-plus exclusive deal with Spotify is due for renewal in early 2024, according to the podcasts industry newsletter Hot Pod. He could walk, and it posits that maybe he might start his own network, but most likely he will re-up for a hefty sum and for another three years. Whether he stays exclusive though…
Both Spotify and Apple list the ‘best new podcasts’ of 2023, too, but it’s noteworthy that the most recent show across their two lists above is Huberman Lab, a show about neuroscience, which started in January 2021.
There has been a lot of job losses and consolidation in the industry over the past year or two - the likes of The Athletic, Malcolm Gladwell’s Pushkin, and even NPR have all been hit - and one wonders whether there’s space at the top for any new names anymore.
We’ll be listing our podcasts of the year over the coming weeks. Watch this space.
