In spite of the acute popularity of Pastor Abel Damina online, Apostle Femi Lazarus has beaten him and other new media-freak Nigerian religious leaders in podcast rating on Spotify.
Damina’s stand against some principles of top preachers including Pastor EA Adeboye has made him very popular online.
So also have the likes of Bishop David Oyedepo and Sam Adeyemi become popular.
But Spotify has unveiled the top five most streamed podcasts in Nigeria, Kenya and South, for 2024, with Lazarus shining in the top.
Spotify’s Sub-Saharan Africa Podcast Manager, Ncebakazi Manzi, in a statement on Thursday, said that “Apostle Femi Lazarus” remained the most streamed podcast in Nigeria.
Manzi said others were: “Motivation Daily by Motiversity”, Success Addicted Podcast with the voice of Earl Nightingale ; Napoleon Hill ; Jim Rohn and many more”, “Apostle Joshua Selman and The HonestBunch Podcast.
She said the top five most streamed podcasts in South Africa were: “The Joe Rogan Experience”, “The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett”, “What Now? With Trevor Noah”, “Motivation Daily by Motivarsity” and “Podcast and Chil with MacG”.
She described podcasts as one of Africa’s favourite ways to tell stories.
She said with almost four billion minutes of podcast audio played in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024, the continent’s appetite for the content had become loud and clear.
“South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya listened to the most shows this year, with South Africa contributing over two billion minutes.
“The numbers don’t lie. Podcasting is here to stay because it lets creators take control of their narratives and tell these stories on their terms while bringing their community along for the journey.
“Podcasts are personal, but trends do exist across the continent’s leading markets and beyond,” she said.
Manzi said that motivational shows around issues like managing finances, relationships, personal goals and health remained popular across the three leading countries.
She said shows like “The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett”, “Motivation Daily by Motiversity” and “The Success Addicted Podcast” have attracted listeners who wanted to get their lives in order and learn from the stories of inspirational people.
“Audiences in Nigeria and South Africa embrace shows about spirituality.
“Christian Motivation had one of the most shared episodes in South Africa while “Apostle Joshua Selman” maintained his popularity in Nigeria for another year.
“Even though spirituality dominated Nigeria’s top charts, the continued popularity of shows like “I Said What I Said” and “The HonestBunch Podcast” tell us that listeners also want conversation-style shows.
“Listeners in Kenya and South Africa also showed affinity toward these shows,” she said.
