Podcasts were noticeably absent from Netflix’s Engagement Report for the first half of 2026 that the streamer released Thursday.
Netflix added podcasts onto its platform in January through major partnership deals with Spotify and The Ringer, iHeartMedia and Barstool Sports. The January rollout brought popular video podcasts like “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Pardon My Take” directly to the streaming service.
The streamer now carries more than 50 podcasts on its platform but has yet to release any data about its viewership. All of the podcasts are available to stream on other platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, but some have exclusive video deals with the streamer.
What Does Netflix Count as a View?
The data dump does not include programming that reaches less than 50,000 views (Read what an actual Netflix view is in our analysis.) Shows that do not hit this benchmark are lumped into the “Other Shows” category.
All podcasts were lumped into the streamer’s “Other Shows” category, which accounted for 757 million hours viewed. All podcasts were categorized as “Other Shows” in the report, a Netflix insider told TheWrap, regardless of if they received more than 50,000 views or not.
“Approximately half of our viewing occurs in the evening, but our recently launched video podcasts over-index on viewing during the day and on mobile devices, an indicator that this engagement is incremental,” Netflix said in its shareholder letter, a trend they have previously noted in their first quarter earnings call.
Since its initial batch of podcasts, Netflix has added Jake Shane’s “Therapuss” as well as original titles like “The Pete Davidson Show” and companion shows like the “Bridgerton Official Podcast.”
Creators are prominent within the podcast acquisitions. Netflix has leaned into cooking content, making deals with multimedia cooking company America’s Test Kitchen and digital-first entertainment company Mythical Kitchen as well as talent like Nick DiGiovanni and Meredith Hayden, known online as Wishbone Kitchen.
Netflix recently announced that Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” and true crime show “Allegedly” would come to the streamer. Podcasts featuring Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson, Lele Pons and Martha Stewart will also appear on the streamer soon through its partnership with iHeartMedia.
“His & Hers” and “War Machine” were Netflix’s most-watched titles for the first half of 2026, according to the streamer’s bi-annual engagement report, tallying over 100 million views each.
