YouTube has released its first-ever Top 100 Podcasts rankings, which include several podcasts hosted by Black creators. Most of these podcasts are sports-related, with a few focusing on daily news, but many also have cultural significance within music, entertainment, and urban communities.
The rankings feature strong sports podcasts hosted by former Black athletes such as Shannon Sharpe, Gilbert Arenas, Cam Newton, Jeff Teague, and Carmelo Anthony.
Leading and dominating the space is HBCU legend Shannon Sharpe, who hosts two popular podcasts, with “Club Shay Shay” ranking at No. 7 and boasting 3.99 million subscribers. His other podcast, the rapidly growing “Nightcap Show,” holds steady at No. 28 with 1.76 million subscribers. Alongside co-host Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Sharpe engages in various discussions covering topics from sports and social life to relationship advice.
At No. 20, Gilbert Arenas hosts his Gil’s Arena Podcast, which boasts 1.06 million subscribers. The Underdog Fantasy app produces the show. Jeff Teague’s Club 520 Podcast ranks at No. 83 with 641,000 followers, while Carmelo Anthony’s 7 PM in Brooklyn is a rising star, currently at 404,000 subscribers.
The former NFL Superman, Cam Newton, hosts two podcasts on the platform. Only “Funky Friday,” which ranks at No. 84, has made it into the Top 100. His other podcast, “4th and 1,” is not in the Top 100 list but has garnered over 370,000 loyal subscribers. Notably, it has been growing rapidly despite only having 52 episodes produced by Newton.
The NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt ranks at No. 38, boasting 11.2 million subscribers. Holt has announced plans to scale back his daily duties later this year, and it remains to be seen if NBC can maintain its position without him.
At No. 78 on YouTube’s charts is Roland Martin with his show “Roland Martin Unfiltered.” He has a strong following of 1.8 million subscribers, which makes him one of the most influential and impactful news reporters and creators on the platform. No one controls Mr. Martin.
Barry Cunningham, who transitioned from sports reporting, Barry Cunningham Podcasts And Live Shows that are currently thriving with 346,000 followers. His coverage of politics and special topics has contributed to the growth of his channel.
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- Kill Tony
- Rotten Mango
- 48 Hours
- The MeidasTouch Podcast
- H3 Podcast
- Club Shay Shay
- This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
- Smosh Reads Reddit Stories
- Dr Insanity
- Shawn Ryan Show
- The Pat McAfee Show
- Timcast IRL
- The Diary Of A CEO
- CreepCast
- Karen Read
- Murder, Mystery & Makeup
- The Tucker Carlson Show
- The Megyn Kelly Show
- Gil’s Arena
- Reality Check with Ross Coulthart
- Lex Fridman Podcast
- It Is What It Is
- Bad Friends Podcast
- 60 Minutes
- PBD Podcast
- A Closer Look – Late Night with Seth Meyers
- Nightcap
- Just Trish
- The Lets Read Podcast
- IHIP News
- Law&Crime Sidebar with Jesse Weber
- Unsubscribe Podcast
- The Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller
- The Philip DeFranco Show
- The Yak
- Smosh Mouth
- NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt
- Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
- Breaking Points
- Timcast News Stories
- Cancelled with Tana Mongeau & Brooke Schofield
- True Crime with Kendall Rae
- Dark History
- Julian Dorey Podcast
- Authorized Account
- StarTalk Podcast
- Distractible
- Serialously with Annie Elise
- TigerBelly
- The Joe Budden Podcast
- Democracy Now!
- Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast
- Triggernometry
- On Purpose Podcast
- rSlash
- The 85 South Comedy Show
- You Should Know Podcast
- Power Hour
- Royals
- The Why Files: Operation Podcast
- Flagrant
- Crime Fix with Angenette Levy
- Legal AF Podcast
- The Benny Show
- The Broski Report
- Huberman Lab
- Million Dollaz Worth of Game
- Barry Cunningham Podcasts And Live Shows
- Breaking News
- Drink Champs
- ScreenCrush
- The Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie and Katya
- Shane Dawson Podcast
- Stories from the Bible
- The Mel Robbins Podcast
- Two Hot Takes
- #RolandMartinUnfiltered
- Bulwark Takes
- Democracy Watch with Marc Elias
- Pardon My Take
- 2 Bears, 1 Cave
- Club 520 Podcast
- 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony
- Funky Friday Podcast with Cam Newton
- Impaulsive Podcast
- Extra Anormal Podcast
- Your Mom’s House w/ Tom Segura & Christina P
- 520 in the Morning
- The Intersection with Popok
- Crime
- Critical Role
- The Matt Walsh Show
- The Tim Dillon Show
- Javier Ceriani
- Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
- The David Pakman Show
- La Cotorrisa – Anecdotarios
- The Yard Podcast
- Crime Weekly
As mentioned earlier, this is the first ranking for YouTube. Sports dominate the platform, but with a consistent and strong subscriber base, podcasts can grow and become profitable for Black creators.
