Podcast Audiences Climb As Autumn Listening Gains Momentum.

Podcast listening gained momentum in October, with most publishers and networks measured by Podtrac reporting increases in both audience and downloads as the industry moved deeper into the fall. iHeartMedia strengthened its position atop the U.S. rankings, while several publishers posted double-digit growth and “Crime Junkie” extended its run as America’s most-listened-to podcast.

Month-over-month growth was positive for most participants in both its U.S. and Global Multi-Channel rankings. The gains were especially strong for DailyWire, PRX, Vox Media and The Volume, while iHeart added millions of listeners and increased its downloads and plays.

The iHeart Audience Network, which includes not only shows produced by iHeartPodcasts but other creators that rely on it for ad sales, remained No. 1 among U.S. publishers, reaching 64.3 million unique monthly listeners, a 12% increase from September. Downloads and plays rose 3% to 294.7 million. Meanwhile, iHeartPodcasts held the No. 2 position with 35.3 million monthly listeners, up 10%, while downloads and plays increased 6% to nearly 173 million.

NPR Sales Network remained third with 19.7 million listeners, an increase of 9%, and 101.7 million downloads and plays, also up 9%.

The ranking — which only lists companies that subscribe to Podtrac — show Vox Media made one of the biggest moves in the top 10, climbing two positions to No. 4. Its audience increased 13% to 7.6 million, while downloads and plays jumped 15% to 26.4 million.

The Walt Disney Company slipped one position to fifth despite a 7% audience increase to 7.4 million. Barstool Sports followed at No. 6 with nearly 7 million listeners.

DailyWire was another standout, climbing three positions to No. 7 as its audience surged 20% to 6.2 million. Downloads and plays rose 11% to 22.6 million. Fox Audio Network moved up one position to eighth, with audience growth of 9% and an 18% increase in downloads and plays.

PodcastOne ranked ninth, followed by Paramount, which entered the top 10 at No. 10.

Further down the rankings, PRX posted a 19% audience increase and a 16% gain in downloads and plays, moving to No. 13. The Volume continued its upward trajectory, climbing two positions to No. 14 with 2.6 million listeners, up 14%, and 9.8 million downloads and plays, up 12%.

ReVolver Podcasts also recorded a 14% audience gain, while CNN’s audience increased 10%.

At the individual show level, “Crime Junkie” continued its dominance of Podtrac’s rankings, holding the No. 1 position for a fifth consecutive month. The Audiochuck true-crime podcast has led the chart since June. “The Daily” remained No. 2, followed by “NPR News Now,” “Up First from NPR” and “Dateline NBC,” all unchanged from September.

The biggest movement near the top came from Crooked Media’s “Pod Save America,” which climbed two positions to No. 6. The gain pushed “Fox News Hourly Update” down one spot to seventh and Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” to eighth. “The Ben Shapiro Show” remained ninth, while iHeartPodcasts’ “Stuff You Should Know” returned to the top 10, gaining one position.

Podtrac reports “The Ezra Klein Show” posted the month’s biggest gain, climbing four positions to No. 12. “The Tim Dillon Show” moved up two spots to No. 18, while Vox Media’s “Today, Explained” gained one to No. 17.

The rankings are based on Podtrac measurement data for U.S. unique monthly audience for any show that was measured for the entire month. While measurement is free for any podcast, the ranking only includes those shows that have opted in.

Podtrac’s Global Multi-Channel Publishers & Networks Ranking showed additional growth in October, with several networks reporting double-digit gains in combined audio and video consumption.

The iHeart Audience Network maintained its No. 1 global position with 543.1 million combined downloads, streams, views and plays of full podcast episodes, up 3% from September. Audio accounted for 468.6 million of that total, while video contributed another 74.5 million.

NPR Sales Network moved into second place with 117.1 million full-episode downloads and plays, followed by Sonoro Global Media Corp. with 54.8 million.

Paramount climbed two positions to No. 4 with 50.5 million combined downloads, views and plays. Video remained its largest distribution channel, accounting for 34.6 million, or roughly 69% of its full-episode total.

DailyWire ranked fifth globally with 47.8 million combined downloads, views and plays, including 27.8 million from video. That means video accounted for about 58% of its full-episode consumption.