What are the *approximate* download numbers for a Top 20 podcast episode?

July 11, 2012 3:48 PM

What are the *approximate* download numbers for a Top 20 podcast episode?

Looking for rough download numbers for, say, one episode of the #1, #10, and #20 podcast. Is it 1,000 downloads? 100,000 downloads? 10 million?

I understand exact numbers are hard to come by, as evidenced by this previous AskMe. I'm just looking for ballpark numbers with a little supporting material.

posted by LordSludge to media & arts (3 answers total)

From their website:

This American Life is also the most popular podcast in the country, with more than half a million downloads.
posted by CathyG at 4:36 PM on July 11, 2012

According to this article from last year, the B.S. Report (which is usually in the top 3) gets around 600k per episode. Presumably that number has increased.
posted by acidic at 7:45 PM on July 11, 2012

Oh, and you may already know this, but the Top Podcasts list isn't, strictly speaking, a list of the Top Podcasts in terms of total subscribers. It's calculated by counting new subscribers, which is why the #2 podcast currently has to do with the movie Ice Age. However, I believe the Top Episodes list is a true representation of the most popular episodes for an certain time period.
posted by acidic at 7:52 PM on July 11, 2012