Streaming audio service Spotify is pushing more chips into the podcasting pot. As if acquiring Gimlet and a variety of original shows weren't enough, the company is looking to challenge Apple's podcast ranking tables with a number of its own. The effort will be headlined with two: Top Podcasts and Trending Podcasts.
The Top list flows 200 podcasts long and is based on gross traffic while the Trending 50 shows are determined based on listenership growth. Android and iOS users will see the new charts in these 26 countries from today:
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Philippines
- Poland
- Spain
- Sweden
- The Netherlands
- United Kingdom
- United States
In Australia, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Spotify's home market of Sweden, the U.K., and U.S., Spotify will further disseminate 17 top charts by subject matter, each of those lists listing 50 shows. They are:
- Arts
- Business
- Comedy
- Education
- Fiction
- Health & Fitness
- History
- Leisure
- Music
- News
- Religion & Spirituality
- Science
- Society & Culture
- Sports
- Technology
- True Crime
- TV & Film
Listeners will be able to browse from any list in any country the new charts are available. For show producers, they will be notified when their show is included in a chart and will have access to turnkey assets to help promote their status.
It'll be good to have significant competition in podcast rankings as ad valuation starts to come to maturity. The iTunes charts — yes, they're still called iTunes — have been around for so long that, according to The Verge in 2018, SEO manipulators have been able to effectively game them. For Spotify, it should be at least some time before that happens. The company will need every advantage it can get to make sure people will associate everything podcasting to its name.