The August Podtrac rankings show continued stability, with Dan Bongino and Ben Shapiro remaining among the leading news podcasts. Podtrac saw its first major movement outside the top 11, as several familiar news shows remained prominent.
What We Know: The top 11 shows remained unchanged from July, signaling continued consistency among the biggest podcasts measured by Podtrac. However, The Ezra Klein Show made the first move inside the rankings, jumping five positions to No. 12. The climb pushed The Shawn Ryan Show to No. 14 and The Dan Bongino Show to No. 15.
What the Numbers Show: The Daily remained the top news podcast in August, finishing No. 2 overall. NPR also continued to perform well, with NPR News Now ranking No. 3 and Up First From NPR landing No. 4. Meanwhile, Fox News Hourly Update finished No. 6. Pod Save America ranked No. 8, while The Ben Shapiro Show took No. 9. Today, Explained rounded out the news-related shows in the top 20 at No. 17.
What Remains Unclear: The August rankings don’t reveal what drove Klein’s five-position jump or whether the move represents a broader trend. Podtrac also doesn’t provide enough context to determine whether individual programming, news cycles, or audience behavior drove the changes.
What It Means: Stability remains the bigger story across the August rankings, particularly among the industry’s largest podcasts. Still, Klein’s rise shows how quickly rankings can shift beyond the established leaders. Meanwhile, the continued presence of major news and political podcasts reinforces their importance within the broader podcasting ecosystem.
