Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) and Triton Digital have released the August Australian Podcast Ranker, and the numbers point to two clear trends: Hamish and Andy remain on top, and Australians are tuning into news podcasts in big numbers.
Hamish and Andy drew in 855,315 listeners across August. While plenty of competitors have tried to take the crown, the duo’s blend of humour, nostalgia and sheer consistency continues to deliver the biggest audience in the country.
Grant Tothill, Executive Head LiSTNR Operations and Audience, said the pair’s continued reign is “a testament to their consistency and connection with audiences.”
News in focus
Two of the top five podcasts were news programs, reflecting growing demand for rolling updates in audio form.
ABC News Top Stories landed at #2 with 821,367 listens, while Sky News Australia Update moved up one spot to #4 with 466,847 listens.
CRA CEO Lizzie Young said the ranker’s strength is in linking listening habits to consumer influence: “The Australian Podcast Ranker doesn’t just measure audiences – it identifies the communities that directly influence consumer decisions, providing advertisers with insights to turn listeners into loyal customers.”
How radio shows fared
For radio programs distributing content on-demand, the results were mixed.
The Kyle & Jackie O Show – despite cementing their position as Sydney’s breakfast radio leaders – slid seven places in the podcast ranker, landing at #14 with 333,362 monthly listeners.
In contrast, SEN Breakfast, hosted by Garry Lyon, Tim Watson, Kane Cornes and David King, jumped six places to #13 with 342,818 listeners, making it the strongest-performing radio show in podcast form for the month.
When broadcast wins don’t translate
The ranker also exposed the challenges of converting linear radio success into podcast downloads.
Triple M’s Lou & Jarch recently delivered a standout result in radio ratings, topping the 2pm–4pm slot in Sydney with a 10.4% share – the station’s best in that timeslot since 2018.
But in the podcast charts, the duo placed at just #236 with 27,519 listeners. It’s a curious gap that shows success in live listening doesn’t always carry over into on-demand. (And for the record, this writer counts among those 27,519.)