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.
The “society and culture” and “comedy” topics are only slightly right-skewed, which seems representative of the US voting behavior with Republicans winning more elections but not by much.
The non-political topics with political sprinkles are interesting, and where the right overwhelms the left. People don’t listen to these shows because of the politics - they are there for the sports talk, or the discussion on getting and staying healthy, or for some inspiration and spiritual reflection - but the political sprinkles aren’t enough to drive them away. Does anyone see a path to a left-leaning host attracting significant audiences for mainly sports or wellness or spirituality, with occasional progressive sprinkles?
Not really, left leaning people always have the same problem: something that could reasonably called a set of morals (other than might makes right).
Your examples are toxic masculinity, diet grifters, and metaphysical grifters. It’s hard to square a sense of right and wrong with grifting.
I think you might be able to make inroads with women’s sports but…you need already toxic men to care.
You could make a diet show that does actual medicine, but the advice would be eat less, especially less meat and less alcohol. Eat green stuff instead. Go outside every day. Can’t make a long lasting show on this because it’s stable advice…this is why you need a grifter to make the show last, the content just doesn’t support the show.
Not gonna bother with metaphysical grifting, we get it.
Part of the problem is that telling the truth doesn’t really sell an identity. If you subscribe to some niche pseudoscience, then it can be your “thing” and you can form a bond with others who are into the same niche thing. Selling lies also allows you to craft the narrative to appeal to particular demographics and target audiences. Part of how the human brain functions is that doing insane things together with other people (ritualism) helps form a bond - the insanity is part of the design, to distinguish the in-group from the out-group. There’s also the problem that grifting makes money, and money lets you boost your signal and reach more people.
I have gotten a lot of social connections and philosophy learning through my congregation, consumed a variety of exercise safety and effectiveness tips, enjoyed discovering recipes that fit with my lifestyle and dietary preferences (many of which contribute healthy variety to my food intake), and get positive feelings finding spaces that share experiences and tips around specific health conditions I have. It’s sad to see all of those experiences cast as me being a victim of grifting.