Podcasts are a big thing in recent years and the amount of podcasts being celebrated online is exceeding the limits and competing with one another. The hard task here is to find the right top podcasts that’s worthy of your time and energy.
If you have questions like “How do I find a good podcast ?”, “what is the number #1 podcast in the world?”, “What podcast has more views?” then, we have a curated a list of top 10 most listened podcasts in 2024 to make your podcast listening journey a fruitful one,
As an add-on we have distilled and listed out the top podcasts in apple and spotify to tune in comfortably, read further to know them,
Table of Contents
What Is a Live Podcast?
Live podcasting (or podcast streaming) is recording a podcast in real-time and live streaming it to multiple audiences and fans across the globe on episode basis.
Live podcasts are usually hosted by a streamer who conducts the session and then participants are invited to it as audiences, sometimes the podcast content is repurposed for branding and marketing purposes.
Inviting guests is getting popular in live podcasting as it brings different perspectives from knowledgeable guests to the subject thereby keeping the audience engaged with the podcasts.
Benefits Of Live Podcast Streaming Compared To Pre Recorded Podcasts
Both live podcasting and pre-recorded podcasts have their own sets of benefits based on the goals of the streamer, but live podcasts always have an upper hand due to the interaction and engagement factor.
Here we have differentiated the benefits,
| S.No | Content | Live Podcasts | Pre-recorded podcasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Real-time interaction | Live podcasts creates more engagement with real-time chat features and keeps the audience hooked | Pre-recorded podcasts are more like video on demand that is to be showcased without real-time interaction |
| 2. | Merchandise | Live podcasting helps you sell products and merchandise by opening a gateway to sales during the session | Pre-recorded podcasts on the other hand don’t offer that space. |
| 3. | Understanding the pulse | during live streaming Podcast hosts can understand the mindset of the audience while hosting the session | Pre-recorded podcasts stand a lesser chance as it only helps you display the video. |
| 4. | Equipments | Live podcast can be achieved with an ease of an laptop | Since it lacks a host to interact, an entire setup to shoot and post the content is necessary. |
| 5. | New clients | Live streaming brings space to generate new clients into the business with the interaction and engagement a host develops during the session | Based on the content, pre-recorded podcasts drive new potential clients. |
The 10 Top Most Popular Live Podcasts for 2024
Millions of people are listening to podcasts every day and there are thousands of new voices born every hour, to shortlist out of them is a task and here we have done it for you!
1. Joe Rogan Experience
- Channel: The Joe Rogan Experience
- Format type : Audio; video
- Length: 1–3+ hours
- No. of episodes: 2,076 (as of December 19, 2023)
- Subscribers: 14.9 million
- Total views: 3.0 billion
- Available in: Spotify
What is the Joe Rogan Experience?
Joe Rogan the international comedian calls out famous celebrities, actors, musicians, MMA fighters and authors, artists worldwide and discusses their best and worst times in a most entertaining way. Some of the popular podcasts include Elon Musk, Edward Snowden.
Participated personas: Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Mike Tyson, Sadguru, Professor Brian Cox, Steven Pinker, Jordan peterson.
2. The Daily Podcast
- Format type : Audio; video
- Length: avg. 20–25 minutes
- No. of episodes: 1,760 (as of February 2023)
- Subscribers: 2 million downloads per episode.
- Available in: Apple
What is The Daily?
Think of The Daily as the New York Times is a podcast hosted by Michael Barbaro, with the day’s hot news and covers domestic and international politics
Most popular daily news podcasts: Global News Podcast, BBC. Smart speakers help guide.
International Edition, Voice of America, The World, PRX.
3. This American Life
- Format type : Radio short stories and essays(audio)
- Length: 60 minutes
- No. of episodes: 816 (as of November 30, 2023)
- Subscribers: 4 +million listeners each week and 2 million downloads per episode.
- Available in: Apple
What is This American Life Podcast?
This American Life, is a weekly radio program hosted by Ira Glass, it presents the story of people in america with unusual storytelling narrative. It’s widely known as TAL.
TAL best episodes: No Coincidence, No Story, Notes on Camp, Harper High School, The words to say it.
4. Stuff You Should Know
- Format type : Audio, video
- Length: 20- 60 minutes
- No. of episodes: 1500+
- Subscribers:150k (Youtube)
- Available in: Youtube
What is the Stuff You Should Know Podcast About?
Stuff You Should Know is a presentation of funny, weird, informative cult, unspoken topics like satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime.
Stuff You Should Know best episodes are: How Electoral Colleges Work, How Diamonds Work What is facism?, Casanova.
5. Pod Save America
- Format type : Audio, video
- Length: 41–96 minutes
- Subscribers:1.5 million listeners
- Genre: Politics
- Available in: Apple
What is Pod Save America?
Pod Save America speaks about progressive politics in America supporting Obama and his political side, and is joined by A-list journalists, activists, politicians, entertainers, and world leaders.
Pod Save America’s best episodes are: interviews of Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Joe Biden.
6. The Ben Shapiro Show
- Format: Audio; video; radio
- Genre: Political commentary; news; conservative talk radio
- Hosted by: Ben Shapiro
- Length: 1–2 hours
- No. of episodes: 1,875 (As of December 22, 2023)
- Subscribers: 6,680,000
- Available in: Apple
What is The Ben Shapiro Show?
The Ben Shapiro Show is a daily wire extension, where the daily brutal events of America are spoken loud and without a filter from monday to friday about american politics and other hot topics.
The Ben Shapiro Show best episodes are: the opposite side of the political spectrum, gun control with Piers Morgan, Auschwitz with Elon Musk.
7. Call Her Daddy
- Format: Audio; video
- Genre: Human sexuality, relationships
- Length: 5-10 minutes
- No. of episodes: 254 (as of March 31, 2023)
- Subscribers: 797.0K subscribers on Youtube
- Available in: Youtube
What is The Call Her Daddy?
The Call Her Daddy is one of the most-listened to podcasts on Spotify, where there is a free flow of questions and answers to everything in relationships. There is no screen for it. Blunt truths and unfiltered discussions.
The Call Her Daddy best episodes are: Sext Me So I Know It’s Real, The Gluck Gluck 9000 — Miley Cyrus.
8. Office Ladies Podcast
- Format: Audio, Video
- Length: 1 hr +
- No. of episodes: 192, 27 Half Episodes
- Genre: Comedy
- Available in: Spotify
What is The Office Ladies Podcast
The Office Ladies Podcast is all about Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesly) and Angela Kinsey (Angela Martin) stories about their lives and the office episodes analysis and behind the scenes.
The Office Ladies Podcast best episodes are: Dinner Party, A Benihana Christmas W/Rashida Jones And Jen Celotta’, Halloween w/ Creed Bratton, Drug Testing.
9. On Purpose with Jay Shetty
- Format: Audio, Video
- Length: 1 hr +
- No. of episodes: 516 Episodes
- Genre: Mental health
- Available in: Spotify
What is On Purpose with Jay Shetty?
On Purpose with Jay Shetty is about mental well being hosted by Jay Shetty, he speaks on handling emotions with situational use cases and helps people to master mental health and life.
The On Purpose with Jay Shetty best episodes are: Jay & His Wife Radhi ON: How to Stop Parenting Your Partner & The “Perfect” Relationship Myth, 6 Red Flags to Avoid in Relationships and How to Spot Them Early and Robert Waldinger ON: Why We Struggle to Connect & How to Stop Toxic Habits from Breaking Our Spirit.
10. My Favorite Murder
- Format: Audio, Video
- Length: 60-120 minutes.
- No. of episodes: 300+ Episodes
- Genre: True crime; comedy
- Available in: Spotify
What is My Favorite Murder?
My Favorite Murder is about crime and comedy hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. They also focus on mental health, women’s rights, addiction, and religion.
The best episodes of My Favorite Murder: Here We Back Are Robot Grandma, 400 Peeled Potatoes.
The Most Popular Podcasts on Spotify Platform
Here’s the top 5 podcasts in spotify with the respective hosts
- The Joe Rogan Experience-Joe Rogan
- Call Her Daddy- Alexandra Cooper
- Armchair Expert-Monica Padman
- Crime Junkie-Ashley Flowers
- The Daily-Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise
The Most Popular Live Podcasts on Apple Website
Apple has been keen on producing quality podcasts, here is their top 5
- The Mel Robbins Podcast- Mel Robbins
- Huberman Lab-Andrew David Huberman
- Crime Junkie-Ashley Flowers
- The Daily-Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise
- Stuff You Should Know-Josh Clark and Charles Wayne
What is the Number one Podcast or Most Listened Podcast in the World?
Joe Rogan’s The Joe Rogan Experience is the number one podcast in the world with 3 billion listeners and millions of subscribers from different podcasting platforms.
Start Creating Free Podcasts with OnTheFly Website
OnTheFly is one of the premium spaces to host podcasts in the online space, it has dedicated tools and features to support recording of podcasts and to brand them the most simplest way.
The in-built studio is on point as it brings easy branding options and customisation options, the pre-recording feature helps you to go live without going online with a pre-recorded video.
Now that we got you covered, if you are not sure where to start, go with your gut or your favorite genres to make a choice !
you might end up learning something new with good podcasts
Podcasts can enhance your learning experience and build new habits, make sure you give them all a try
Go ahead, happy listening
To understand how to do podcasting with OnTheFly, click here
Great read! Thanks for sharing. I’m eager to explore more podcasts. I’ll save this list for future listening.