What Did YouTube Change About Counting a View?
In a post dated August 19, 2026, YouTube said that from August 24 it would count a view from the first frame across “Shorts, Long Form, Podcasts, Live; all the formats.” The old definition was renamed: “An engaged view is defined as clicking to watch or watching past the initial seconds” (YouTube). YouTube said most analytics stay anchored on engaged views and that monetization is unaffected.
The practical result is two YouTube numbers for the same video. The view count under a video is now the looser first-frame figure. Podtrac says engaged views “are no longer displayed publicly but are available through the YouTube Analytics and Reporting APIs” (Podtrac), so only the channel owner, or a measurement company it authorizes, sees them.
Which YouTube Number Does Podtrac Use?
The stricter one. Podtrac's analysis, published September 3, 2026, states: “Podtrac rankings will use the new ‘Engaged Views’ metric for YouTube podcasts” (Podtrac). The September 2026 global table confirms it in its column definition: video is “Total worldwide Engaged views as reported by YouTube and streams as reported by Spotify of podcast content across all shows in the Network” (Podtrac global ranking).
Podtrac also measured the gap. In a sample of 84.2 million views of videos on YouTube podcast channels from August 27 and 28, 2026, engaged views were 64% of views for podcast episodes in a podcast playlist and 58% for other videos on podcast channels (Podtrac).
% of YouTube views (first-frame count = 100); 84.2 million views on YouTube podcast channels, August 27–28, 2026
Source: Podtrac, “Podtrac's initial analysis of YouTube Engaged Views,” September 3, 2026; YouTube, “What are ‘Engaged’ Views on YouTube?”, August 19, 2026. Read October 11, 2026.
The 100% row is the baseline by definition, not a measured figure. The sample covers two days shortly after YouTube's change and is not a figure from the ranking itself or for any one network. Podtrac describes the gaps as −36% and −42%.
So a video figure in Podtrac's table should come out well below the public counters under the same videos, and the two cannot be compared or added.
Which Column Decides the Order in Podtrac's Global Table?
The combined total. Podtrac defines its rank as a ranking of participating publishers and networks “based on downloads, streams and views of full podcast episodes across all podcast distribution channels as measured by Podtrac” (Podtrac global ranking). The table's columns, from the same page:
| Column | What Podtrac says it counts | Sets rank? |
|---|---|---|
| Audio & Video Downloads, Views & Streams | “Combined total of audio downloads and streams and video views and streams” | Yes |
| Audio Downloads & Streams | Worldwide downloads, played downloads via web players, and Spotify streams “when available” | Part of the total |
| Video Views & Streams | YouTube engaged views and Spotify streams of podcast content | Part of the total |
| Video Podcast Clips (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube) | Views of clips that are not full episodes | No: “not included in Podtrac Rank” |
Podtrac introduced the clip columns with its May 2026 ranking, saying they are “provided as a contextual metric” and “do not determine rank order” (Podtrac, May 2026 highlights).
How Much of Meidas Media Network's Second Place Is Video?
Almost all of it. The top six rows of Podtrac's September 2026 global table:
| Rank | Network | Total | Audio | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iHeart Audience Network | 529,089,000 | 457,004,000 | 72,085,000 |
| 2 | Meidas Media Network | 142,336,000 | 11,675,000 | 131,661,000 |
| 3 | NPR Sales Network | 108,056,000 | 108,056,000 | Not yet available |
| 4 | Sonoro Global Media Corp. | 62,009,000 | 34,502,000 | 27,506,000 |
| 5 | Libsyn | 55,157,000 | 53,552,000 | 1,605,000 |
| 6 | Paramount | 49,100,000 | 16,141,000 | 32,958,000 |
Source: Podtrac global ranking, September 2026, read October 11, 2026. Podtrac marks NPR's video cell with asterisks, meaning “data is not yet available.”
By our arithmetic, video is about 92% of Meidas's total and about 14% of iHeart's. Meidas has the largest video figure in the table. Its audio figure of 11,675,000 would place it eleventh of the 18 networks listed. In Podtrac's separate audio-based US ranking for the same month, which orders publishers by US unique monthly audience, Meidas does not appear among the 19 publishers listed (Podtrac US ranking). The same network can be second or unlisted depending on which Podtrac table is cited.
Does the Meidas Row Add Up?
Not as published. On Podtrac's September page, 11,675,000 audio plus 131,661,000 video is 143,336,000, which is 1,000,000 more than the 142,336,000 total shown. Every other row with both columns reconciles to within 1,000, which looks like rounding. The page does not say which figure is wrong, so we do not guess. If the total is right, video would be 130,661,000; either way the video share stays around 92%. Anyone quoting the row should check the live table, because Podtrac may correct it.
What Does the Ranking Not Measure?
Podtrac's own footnotes rule out several readings. “Counts are not a measure of play duration.” “Rank is not from YouTube or any other service”; it is Podtrac's own product (Podtrac global ranking). It covers participating networks only. And it adds unlike events: audio downloads from server logs, which follow the IAB Tech Lab rules covered in what changed in the podcast download rules, and video views reported by YouTube and Spotify under their own definitions. Why the same episode gets different numbers in different dashboards is covered in how to read podcast analytics in Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
What This Means for Anyone Buying a Placement
A rank is a statement about a podcast network's combined monthly output across every show it carries. It says nothing about one show, one episode or one guest segment. Before quoting a rank or relying on one, our recommendation is to ask:
- Which table, which month, which column? The global total, the audio column and the US audience ranking can order the same networks very differently.
- What kind of video view? Podtrac uses engaged views; a seller's deck may quote public first-frame counts or clip views.
- Is the figure for the show or the network? A network's rank is not the reach of the show being pitched.
- Does the row reconcile? Check that audio plus video equals the total on the live page.
- Is it paid? A paid podcast spot is advertising and should be disclosed as such. No rank guarantees listeners, results or permanence, and completion matters more than counts for a single spot, as what share of podcast listeners finish an episode shows.
Methodology and Limitations
Four limits apply. First, the table figures are read from Podtrac's live September 2026 pages on October 11, 2026; Podtrac revises rankings and the page may change. Second, the 64% and 58% figures come from one two-day sample Podtrac published shortly after YouTube's change, and we did not test them. Third, the video shares and the audio-only position are our arithmetic from Podtrac's published columns, not Podtrac figures. Fourth, Podtrac does not explain the Meidas discrepancy, how Spotify video streams are counted, or whether its August table used engaged views, so we draw no conclusion on those points.
Conclusion
Podtrac's September ranking counts YouTube on a stricter basis than the number YouTube now displays, then adds those video views to audio downloads to set the order. That makes the table a reasonable view of a network's combined reach and a poor guide to any single placement. A buyer who hears “number two in the world” should ask which column, which month and which kind of view, and check the row against the live page before the figure goes into a deck.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Podtrac count YouTube views the same way YouTube does?
No. Since August 24, 2026, YouTube's public view count registers a view from the first frame. Podtrac says its rankings use YouTube's "Engaged Views" metric for podcasts, and its September 2026 global table describes video as engaged views reported by YouTube plus streams reported by Spotify.
What did YouTube change on August 24, 2026?
YouTube began counting a view from the first frame across Shorts, long-form video, podcasts and live. The earlier definition is now called an engaged view, which YouTube defines as clicking to watch or watching past the initial seconds.
How much lower are engaged views than YouTube views for podcasts?
In Podtrac's sample of 84.2 million views on YouTube podcast channels from August 27 and 28, 2026, engaged views were 64% of views for podcast episodes and 58% for other videos on podcast channels. That is one two-day sample, not a fixed ratio.
Which column decides rank in Podtrac's global multi-channel table?
The combined total of audio downloads and streams plus video views and streams of full episodes. Podtrac says views of podcast-related video clips on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are not included in its rank.
Why is Meidas Media Network second in Podtrac's global ranking?
Mostly video. Podtrac's September 2026 global table lists Meidas at 142,336,000 in total, with 131,661,000 video views and streams and 11,675,000 audio downloads and streams. On the audio column alone it would sit eleventh of the 18 networks listed. Those audio and video figures add up to 1,000,000 more than the total shown.
Can a buyer use a network's Podtrac rank to predict what one placement will deliver?
No. A rank describes a network's combined monthly downloads, streams and views across all its shows, and Podtrac says counts are not a measure of play duration. It does not predict the reach or results of a single paid spot or guest appearance.
Sources
This report is built from Podtrac's own ranking pages and blog and from YouTube's announcement, all read on October 11, 2026. We did not use trade-press copies of the table. Buyer questions are our recommendation, not a Podtrac or YouTube rule.
- platform documentation YouTube, What are ‘Engaged’ Views on YouTube?, August 19, 2026. First-frame counting from August 24, 2026, all formats; engaged-view definition. Read October 11, 2026.
- vendor Podtrac, Podtrac's initial analysis of YouTube Engaged Views, September 3, 2026. Rankings use engaged views; 84.2 million-view sample; 64% and 58%; API-only availability. Read October 11, 2026.
- vendor Podtrac, Top Global Podcast Publishers & Networks, September 2026 edition. Rank definition, column definitions, footnotes and table rows. Read October 11, 2026.
- vendor Podtrac, Top US Podcast Publishers and Networks, September 2026 edition. US unique monthly audience ranking and participation rule. Read October 11, 2026.
- vendor Podtrac, May 2026 – Top Podcasts, Publishers and Networks, June 8, 2026. Clip views as a contextual metric that does not determine rank. Read October 11, 2026.