What you are looking at
Each bubble is a US news or commentary outlet reaching at least 500K people a month. Corporate outlets are owned by media companies and run by institutional newsrooms, mostly rooted in TV, print or radio. Independent channels are run by individual creators or small teams who own their brand, mostly online-first. The bigger the bubble, the bigger its monthly audience.
How we size a bubble
We estimate how many different people each outlet reaches in a month, using public numbers.
Independent channels
YouTube views × audience share
Legacy media built their reach on TV, a visual medium. YouTube is its closest equivalent for independents, and the only platform with consistent public numbers. Audio-only listening on Spotify and Apple is not counted, so podcast-led shows are understated.
The share (47–59%, depending on the type of channel) removes people who watch more than one video.
Example: MeidasTouch had 228.6M YouTube views in October 2026. As a news commentary channel, 53.5% count as people: 228.6M × 0.535 ≈ 122M.
Media companies
Combined audience × share kept
We add up all of a company’s news brands, keep the share that is likely different people (35–60%), and use the middle of the range.
Example: Fox News reaches 146–176M a month in total. Keeping 35% gives ≈ 56M.
Dashed rings
A dashed ring shows an estimate that includes podcast listeners, where a measured figure exists.
Over time
Up to 2024, each bubble grows in a straight line from its launch, or from its 2000 size. From 2024, about 100 outlets follow real quarterly figures. Hover a bubble to see what its figures are based on.
Sources
Nielsen (TV), Comscore and Similarweb (websites), vidIQ and Social Blade (YouTube).
Political lean
Based on how each outlet describes itself and what it covers. Labels are simplified.
Keep in mind
- These are estimates from public data, not official counts.
- Podcast apps, Rumble and paid apps don’t publish audiences, so shows like Joe Rogan’s are likely too low.
- Scripps News, OAN and Real America’s Voice have no Nielsen ratings, so they are sized on YouTube only.
- Audiences are mostly American, with some viewers abroad.