Murder and mystery are behind the most popular podcast content in the U.S. and Canada according to a new analysis of the top shows by Rephonic. It looked at the top podcast genres for countries around the world and it finds that while True Crime is the biggest category in eight countries including in America, the Society & Culture genre is the biggest worldwide as it tops the Apple Podcast charts in 16 countries. Comedy ranks third, leading in five countries.
While most of North America is focused on the whodunit – Mexico prefers Comedy – in Europe, Society & Culture comes out on top for the majority of countries it says in a blog post. But there are some places that buck that trend. History is the most common category on the Belgian charts. And while Ireland is also a fan of True Crime, it is Comedy that tops the U.K. charts. True Crime also leads in Australia and New Zealand, while South Africans are financially-focused with Investing podcasts being the top genre there.
Rephonoic says the Apple Podcast data is just a snapshot and not too many conclusions can be drawn from its findings – but the results do offer an overview of the podcast landscape, especially in countries where measurement companies like Triton Digital do not yet operate.