Observed Signal · Oct 15, 2026 · Data Release · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
German Podcast Charts: Ronzheimer and Machtwechsel Set Records
In September 2026, German political podcasts achieved new download records, driven by state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. 'Ronzheimer.' defended its #1 spot for the third consecutive month with a record 6.83 million valid downloads, and also reached 201,023 valid downloads per new episode. 'Machtwechsel' achieved a new all-time high of 2.18 million total downloads and 224,335 per new episode, while 'Lage der Nation' remained the top political podcast with 255,041 per new episode and its best total since May 2025 (1.74 million). 'Was jetzt?' from 'Die Zeit' rose 16% to 5.14 million. 'Mordlust' gained 12.1% to 6.66 million. '0630 - der News-Podcast' hit 80,615 per episode. The surge is attributed to election coverage and increased episode releases after summer breaks.
The article provides monthly podcast rankings illustrating the performance of German political podcasts, which is relevant for the audio advertising ecosystem and audience measurement trends.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- September 2026 Podcast-MA: 'Ronzheimer.' is #1 with 6.83 million total valid downloads (record) and 201,023 per new episode.
- 'Machtwechsel' sets all-time highs: 2.18 million total downloads and 224,335 per new episode.
- 'Lage der Nation' tops political podcasts with 255,041 downloads per new episode and 1.74 million total (best since May 2025).
- 'Was jetzt?' (Die Zeit) grows 16% to 5.14 million downloads; 'Mordlust' gains 12.1% to 6.66 million.
- '0630 - der News-Podcast' reaches 80,615 downloads per episode; political podcasts dominate growth rankings.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mapped“Ronzheimer is a podcast associated with Springer.”
“The podcast Das Politikteil from Die Zeit gained 16.2% in downloads.”
“The Arbeitsgemeinschaft Media-Analyse (agma) publishes the monthly valid downloads for participating podcasts.”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Machtwechsel Podcast Debuts With Strong Downloads
The Arbeitsgemeinschaft Media-Analyse (Podcast‑MA) published May audience figures showing first-time measurement for the new political podcast "Machtwechsel" (hosts Dagmar Rosenfeld and Robin Alexander). "Machtwechsel" enters the ranking with 1,683,015 total valid downloads (16th overall) and records 170,500 valid downloads per current episode — marginally ahead of "RONZHEIMER." (166,595). In the news & politics segment "Machtwechsel" ranks fifth by total downloads but second by downloads per current episode behind "Lage der Nation" (275,832). AG.MA’s month tables show "Mordlust" top by total downloads (~6.58M) and by downloads per episode, while "RONZHEIMER." is strong genre‑wide (~5.87M). The report also highlights month-on-month changes (e.g., "Baywatch Berlin" +10.7% total downloads). DWDL.de published the article on 2026-06-19 citing AG.MA as the source.
Ronzheimer Tops July Podcast Downloads Ranking
AG.MA published Podcast-MA figures for July 2026 showing the daily podcast "RONZHEIMER." by Paul Ronzheimer reached 5,987,140 valid downloads, claiming the #1 position in the overall downloads ranking for the first time. The previous leader "Mord Auf Ex" recorded 5,717,453 valid downloads. Episode frequency influenced totals: "Ronzheimer." released 33 episodes in July while the "Was jetzt?" podcast (Die Zeit) published 58 episodes and reached about 4.53 million valid downloads. In per-current-episode metrics, "Mord Auf Ex" leads with 531,610 downloads per current episode; "RONZHEIMER." had about 169,815 downloads per current episode, ranking 14th. The Podcast-MA measures a "valid download" as at least one minute downloaded and covers usage across platforms when publishers commission the measurement.
MA Podcast: 'Mordlust' Tops June Charts
The MA Podcast June report shows True-Crime podcasts leading German podcast charts: “Mordlust” averaged 892,477 valid downloads per new episode (up 20.4% vs. May) and “Mord auf Ex” averaged 629,947 (up 22.4%). On total cumulative downloads, “Mord auf Ex” led June with ~5.88 million plays while “Mordlust” had ~5.04 million. Daily show “Ronzheimer.” remained the strongest daily podcast with ~5.7 million total downloads. Several podcasts saw large month-to-month percentage swings: “Phrasenmäher” and “Stahl aber herzlich” posted the biggest percentage gains, while “Verbrechen von nebenan” and “ARD Crime Time” recorded substantial declines.
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