Podtrac has released its April podcast rankings. The are two shows each from The Daily Wire, The New York Times, and NPR in the top 20 overall shows.
What We Know: The top five shows remained unchanged from March. NPR News Now, The Daily, Up First from NPR, Dateline NBC, and Fox News Hourly Update earned the top positions. Furthermore, the top sales networks included iHeart Audience Network, iHeartPodcasts, Acast, NPR Sales Network, and Libsyn in the top five, in order. Vox Media, Fox Audio Network, Disney, PodcastOne, and The Daily Wire rounded out the top 10.
What The Numbers Show: The following shows saw changes in the April rankings from Podtrac.
| Podcast | April 2026 Rank | Change in Position |
|---|---|---|
| Pod Save America | 6 | ↑ 1 |
| The Ben Shapiro Show | 7 | ↓ 1 |
| This American Life | 11 | ↑ 1 |
| The Dan Bongino Show | 12 | ↓ 1 |
| Today, Explained | 14 | ↑ 1 |
| Morning Wire | 15 | ↑ 1 |
| The Ezra Klein Show | 16 | ↑ 1 |
| The Shawn Ryan Show | 17 | ↓ 3 |
| The Tim Dillon Show | 19 | ↑ 6 |
| 20/20 | 20 | ↑ 3 |
Shows that remained unchanged were:
- Pardon My Take (8th)
- 48 Hours (9th)
- Stuff You Should Know (10th)
- On Purpose with Jay Shetty (13th)
- My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
What It Means: Despite a recent round of layoffs, The Daily Wire’s death appears to have been greatly exaggerated. With Shapiro’s show staying in the top 10, albeit dropping a spot, and Morning Wire moving into the top 15, it’s hard to put much credence in the idea that the company is seeing its audience greatly diminish.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
