It was all about the Aussie podcasts this time around, with the June Podcast Tracker revealing that all of the top ten podcasts were Australian-made.
The Mushroom Case Daily, who saw a huge increase of late, was on the rise again off the back of Erin Patterson’s guilty verdict last week. The ABC podcast experienced a two-place increase to third overall, with 670,856 monthly listeners and 3,347,945 monthly downloads.
That’s after a May jump of 136 places that saw the show became the ABC’s most successful podcast in a decade.
Patterson was found guilty of murdering her mother and father-in-law, Gail and Don Patterson, along with Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and attempting to kill Heather’s husband Ian. The murder weapon? Four individual servings of beef wellington laced with death cap mushrooms.
Patterson’s courtroom drama also proved effective for the Nine Entertainment Group’s podcast network, with The Mushroom Trial: Say Grace reaching number 40 on the ranker.
“We are incredibly pleased with the continued growth of our podcast network in June. These results underscore the strength of our diverse content offering, from compelling original series like ‘The Mushroom Trial’ to the trusted news and current affairs coverage provided by 9News and our popular radio catch-up programs,” said Nine Audio’s head of digital growth, Mia Stern.
ABC had a killer month overall (no pun intended) with four podcasts in the top ten and taking out the top spot with its ABC News Top Stories podcast. With 415 new episodes over the course of June, the podcast raked in 781,067 monthly listeners and more than 2.5 million monthly downloads.
ARN’s iHeart network took out the top spot for publishers. Bolstered by Life Uncut and partnerships with the New York Times’ The Daily, the network hit 4,435,726 monthly listeners and more than 13.5 million monthly downloads.
“Our iHeart network continues to lead the market, offering unmatched scale and connection for advertisers and partners. We’re proud to welcome The New York Times podcasts to the Australian Ranker with The Daily landing straight in the Top 20 and other debutants like The Ezra Klein Show and Hard Fork resonating with listeners. Locally, Life Uncut’s 100 million download milestone is an extraordinary achievement for Britt and Laura – a testament to their ability to consistently engage audiences with content that delivers real impact,” said Corey Layton, ARN’s head of digital audio.
A Moment For Podcasting!
Podcasting has reached a significant step-change. New research reveals 52 per cent of Australians are now reporting they are listening to or watching one or more podcasts every month. The sustained and consistent growth in podcasting has been exceptional, with reported listening more than doubling in the past five years from 25 per cent of Australians back in 2020.
This milestone demonstrates that the medium has crossed from emerging to essential, firmly embedding itself in audience routines and reflecting an evolving industry defined by unified measurement, consistent data standards, and unprecedented collaboration across publishers of all sizes.
“Podcasting has reached scale, and that requires measurement that’s fit for purpose. The industry has united behind a single source of truth because advertisers need consistency and clarity to invest with confidence,” said Lizzie Young, CEO, Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA).
That source of truth is the Australian Podcast Ranker, the country’s only official, third-party verified podcast measurement system. Governed by a cross-industry Steering Committee and supported by deep collaboration across commercial, independent, and non-commercial publishers, it sets the benchmark for podcast data in Australia.
Today, CRA confirmed the extension of its partnership with Triton Digital to continue delivering the Ranker, reinforcing the sector’s commitment to robust, transparent reporting.
“Australian podcasting now delivers the scale and depth of audience intelligence that advertisers require to make informed investment decisions,” added Young.
“The Ranker’s strength lies in the collective intent behind it, every participating publisher has chosen to collaborate, establishing a consistent, transparent standard that gives agencies the confidence to invest at scale”.
