As Americans increasingly get their news from online shows and streamers, the influence of this media ecosystem becomes more prominent — and Media Matters has found that the most popular of this content is overwhelmingly right-leaning.In a new study, Media Matters assessed the audience size of popular online shows — podcasts, streams, and other long-form audio and video content regularly posted online. To do so, we gathered data on the number of followers, subscribers, and views across streaming platforms (YouTube, Spotify, Rumble, Twitch, and Kick) and social media platforms that are used to amplify and promote these shows (Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok). Apple Podcasts does not publicly provide follower counts on its platform, so it was not included in the audience data.This analysis was based on 320 online shows with a right-leaning or left-leaning ideological bent. We found that right-leaning online shows dominate the ecosystem, with substantially larger audiences on both politics/news shows and supposedly nonpolitical shows that we determined often platformed ideological content or guests.Key findings:We found 320 online shows — 191 right-leaning and 129 left-leaning — that were active in 2024 and covered news and politics and/or had related guests. These shows had at least 584.6 million total followers and subscribers.We found substantial asymmetry in total following across platforms: Right-leaning online shows had at least 480.6 million total followers and subscribers — nearly five times as many as left-leaning.Across platforms — YouTube, Rumble, Twitch, Kick, Spotify, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok — right-leaning online shows accounted for roughly 82% of the total following of the online shows we assessed.Comparatively, left-leaning online shows had nearly 104 million followers and subscribers across the eight platforms — nearly five times less.Nine out of the 10 online shows with the largest followings across platforms were right-leaning, with a total following of more than 197 million. The only left-leaning show among the top 10 was What Now? with Trevor Noah, which had 21.1 million total followers and subscribers across platforms.Our analysis — which looked entirely at shows with an ideological bent — found over a third self-identify as nonpolitical, even though 72% of those shows were determined to be right-leaning. Instead, these shows describe themselves as comedy, entertainment, sports, or put themselves in other supposedly nonpolitical categories.Out of 320 online shows, right-leaning programs categorized as comedy — 15 shows in all — had 117.5 million followers and subscribers, or 20% of the total following of all programs we assessed. This category included The Joe Rogan Experience, This Past Weekend with Theo Von, and Full Send Podcast.Right-leaning shows accounted for two-thirds of the total YouTube views on videos from channels affiliated with the shows we assessed — 65 billion views in total. Comparatively, left-leaning online shows totaled 31.5 billion total views.Right-leaning shows use Rumble to expand their audience — gaining millions of subscribers and billions of views for their content.
    • AmidFuror@fedia.io
      10·
      3 days ago

      I try to duck out of any comment thread before it gets nasty. So about 2 comments in.

      Edit: Potential pun thread ruined by reddwarf

    • reddwarf@feddit.nl
      2·
      3 days ago

      So the comment sections are packed with birds then eh? 😃

      But yeah, the language and attitudes in youtube comments are indeed quite…foul.

      Had to do it… 😁

  • ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
    8·
    3 days ago

    I think it’s worrisome to see the graphic, but the graphic also is strangely limited and the numbers aren’t clear whether they are combined totals across platforms.

    Presumably traditional media that has an online presence is excluded on purpose, but it’s not clear why having a traditional media presence should negate the total online-only viewership. E.g., Daily Show with 35m+ across different social platforms? Colbert with 15m+? John Oliver with 10m+? It makes it feel like this is ragebait.

  • Fingolfinz@lemmy.world
    5·
    3 days ago

    What comedy are the right making? Comedy takes skill to write and deliver and their idea of jokes is just punching down on people without any punchline. Something that anyone can do by just being an asshole.

  • Turret3857@infosec.pubEnglish
    3·
    3 days ago

    I mean, let’s be real here, most people on the left are either like us, on niche platforms that dont do influencers, or are on TikTok/Bluesky, and once again, having an actual influencer following is difficult on those platforms. The leftist influencers that do exist are either extremely controversial or like singing to the choir and have a very tribalist mindset that keeps people who may be willing to listen out.

  • NielsBohron@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    3 days ago

    Keep in mind, these are almost certain to be the same people who complain about how political everything is these days. What they mean is that they don’t want to see leftist/progressive memes, but they’re fine shifting the Overton widow to the right.

  • Grool The Demon@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    3 days ago

    It is a crime that Thom Hartmann isn’t more popular. The dude still regularly hosts Bernie Sanders and pretty much called everything that is happening today going back at the end of the Bush Administration. He might be the most prescient and informed guy on Earth. At the very least he pays attention to a lot of the moving parts within government and makes pretty good calls about what is going down.

  • WatDabney@fedia.io
    2·
    3 days ago

    All I get from this is that right-wingers are more likely to be so stupid that they rely on somebody else to tell them what to think.

  • ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    3 days ago

    I’ll believe Joe Rogan and comedians like Theo Von (who I grew up with, incidentally) have a big audience but who the fuck listens to all those other people? Podcasts aren’t like the AM radio of yore where people listened to Rush Limbaugh and then just passively listened to whomever was next. Most conservatives I know who are into talk radio listen to sports stuff like Bobby Hebert bitching about the Saints to calm down after a loss.

    ESPN radio parodied it so maybe my experience is different. https://youtu.be/lb-FL5j3FTU