Apple’s new podcast charts show Amazon at the top

Apple Podcasts is introducing a pair of new top 100 charts today that track subscription podcasts and subscription podcast channels. And as of day one, Amazon is at the top.

Amazon’s stable of shows dominates the new charts. Morbid, SmartLess, and Something Was Wrong, which release early for subscribers of Amazon-owned Wondery Plus, nab the top three spots among subscriber shows in the US. The type of limited-time exclusivity arrangement, which is looser than the platform-exclusive arrangement that Spotify has with shows like The Joe Rogan Experience and Call Her Daddy, appears to be working in driving subscriptions, even if it’s away from Amazon’s platforms.

Wondery Plus, meanwhile, is the top subscription channel overall in the US, Canada, and the UK. In the US, the Sword and Scale +PLUS Light (elegant!), The Binge, Luminary, and Pushkin Plus take the next four spots.

These new charts should give those paywalled shows and channels, which may not make it onto the main rankings, a little more visibility. I personally love it because it lets me keep an eye on which shows people are willing to spend money on.

Caveats abound, of course. Like the main Apple Podcasts charts, these new ones use a unique and somewhat opaque definition of “top.” That’s to say: these are not a direct measure of which shows and channels have the most subscribers or are making the most money — though those elements are factored in. Like Apple’s other podcast charts, these new charts base their rankings on a mix of listener engagement, follows, and completion rate. They also weigh total subscribers and engagement with subscription content, Apple spokesperson Zach Kahn tells Hot Pod.

TL;DR: making a ton of money isn’t enough to hit the top of the list — people still have to be tuning in. Though if you’re making all that cash… chances are you’ve got some big fans anyway.