Over 1.6bn podcast episodes were downloaded in 2016, according to the Pew Research Centre.

If you’re new to digital audio format, or even if you’re a hardcore fan, it can be difficult to find new shows to listen, as only a few like This American Life’s breakout podcast Serial, are reported widely in the press.

As part of the launch of Verdict’s new podcast, the team picked their favourite series to listen to.

1. The Daily

Brought to you from the New York Times, The Daily is a 20-minute podcast released daily, surprisingly, which dissects the news you need to know that day.

Whilst tuning into one podcast every day sounds like a lot, The Daily makes it really easy to understand the news that is happening that day, which with all the twists and turns the Trump administration is going through, is really useful.

Subscribe to the podcast here and follow the show’s host, Michael Barbaro, on Twitter.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

2. Reply All

Gimlet Media offers several different podcasts, from Start Up to Reply All, a show focusing on the strange things that happen on the internet. From covering the Pizza-Gate scandal, to a series of episodes looking at how easy it is to get phished, if it is weird internet thing than Reply All has it covered.

Episode #47, titled ‘Quit Already’ was a really interesting one, exploring someone who wouldn’t stop posting her political opinions on Facebook.

Subscribe to the podcast here or on iTunes.

3. Containers

A listening series on shipping containers may not sound like the most exciting thing but wait for it.

Containers, created by The Atlantic writer Alexis Madrigal, the audio-documentary, focuses on how shipping containers are a symbol of global trade and how they have changed economies, helped facilitate the spread of the internet and transformed the world.

Interested? Here’s where to listen in on iTunes and Soundcloud.

Logo for Containers. Art by Fawna Xiao, design by Jim Cooke

4. Freakonomics

If you want to understand the economics of the SuperBowl or why there are so many fights in Chuck-E-Cheese franchises in the US, Freakonomics is your podcast.

A spin-off of the book of the same title, it is hosted by Stephen Dubner and the regular guest, economist Steven Levitt.

It’s been running since 2010, so is probably one of the original versions of the audio-format.

It recently ran an Earth 2.0 series, which seemed fairly similar to TED Talks, on what different economists, scientists and policy makers would do if they could reboot the planet.

The episode, Is Income Inequality Inevitable? is a good place to start.

Listen to its archive and new episodes on the Freakonomics website.

5. Meet the Composer

Whilst podcasts often focus on the news, Nadia Sirota’s Meet the Composer show can be a nice break from what’s going on in the world.

It’s intended to demystify the world of music composition by showcasing different contemporary artists.

Also, if you’re a fan of Paul Simon then subscribe now as he will be featured in an episode in July.

You can subscribe to the show on iTunes or listen in here.

6. Migrant Crisis

Established in response to the Syrian refugee crisis that gripped the world in 2015, Migrant Crisis is a weekly podcast that looks at the big challenges facing refugees and immigrants across the globe.

Hosted by Verdict’s reporter Frey Lindsay and journalists Mike Meehall Wood and Sophie Pornschlegel, recent episodes include how famine contributes to war and forces people to become displaced from their homes across the world and an LGBT Pride special.

Follow the Migrant Crisis on Soundcloud and listen in to new episodes.

7. Verdict

The Verdict.co.uk team has launched its own podcast. Released weekly, it looks at some of the major decisions and events that have happened over the past few days.

The first episode came out on the much anticipated Brexitversary and discussed everything that has happened since the UK voted to leave the UK last year.

Listen to the Verdict podcast on SoundCloud.