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The Briefing

Monocle
Iran
Ukraine
United States
Donald Trump
Lebanon
Russia
European Union
China
Israel
Germany
Gaza
France
World Government Summit
United Nations
Japan
Canada
South Korea
London
Greenland
Munich Security Conference

A pacy round-up of the day’s main news stories, anchored from London by a Monocle editor. The show features informed reporting, prescient business analysis and invaluable industry reports covering everything from technology to aviation and retail to media.

PublishesDailyEpisodes134Founded15 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
PoliticsDaily NewsNews

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Artwork for The Briefing

Latest Episodes

After Democrats win big in the midterms, will the US become a better friend of Europe – or a foe? Then: the geopolitics of port operations. Plus: Angola steps up its tourism and on-screen gay kisses get Brazil talking.

See omnystudio.com/listener f... more

After the midterms’ ‘blue tsunami’, is a reset in US-Israel relations coming? And what of the war in Iran? Plus: nationwide strikes in France. Then: Design Doha and ‘The Global Countdown’ heads to the US.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info... more

We gauge reactions from markets, the Gulf and the wider world to the US midterms. Can Democratic control of Congress rein in Donald Trump – or will it provoke further conflict in the Middle East?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How deep into red states can Democrats go in the midterms? We hear from Ryan Williams in Washington and Kathie Obradovich in Iowa. Plus: a fridge-freezer attack across Europe. And: we meet Ayala Land CEO Meean Dy in Manila.

See omnystudio.com/listen... more

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Recent Guests

Inzimam Rashid
Monocle's Gulf correspondent
Monocle
Episode: Can a Middle East security pact with Iran prove that diplomacy is still possible?
Ashbhard Waj
Defence and security writer for The Spectator
The Spectator
Episode: Can a Middle East security pact with Iran prove that diplomacy is still possible?
Paul Waldie
Europe correspondent for The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
Episode: Can a Middle East security pact with Iran prove that diplomacy is still possible?
Ed Stoker
Monocle's European editor at large
Monocle
Episode: Can a Middle East security pact with Iran prove that diplomacy is still possible?
Nick Manese
Monocle's executive editor
Monocle
Episode: Can a Middle East security pact with Iran prove that diplomacy is still possible?
Inga Thordar
Chief Catalyst Officer at Canal Oa and former senior editor at CNN and the BBC
Canal Oa
Episode: Can a Middle East security pact with Iran prove that diplomacy is still possible?
Fernando Augusto Pacheco
Monocle's Eurovision desk chief
Monocle
Episode: Can a Middle East security pact with Iran prove that diplomacy is still possible?
Nada Al-Tayha
Senior foreign reporter at The National
The National
Episode: Are new elections – or war – more likely than a coalition with Arab parties in Israel?
Daniel Levy
President of the US Middle East Project and former Israeli negotiator
US Middle East Project
Episode: Are new elections – or war – more likely than a coalition with Arab parties in Israel?

Hosts

Thomas Waterhouse
Host of The Briefing
Chris Cermak
Host of The Briefing; Studio host

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 498 ratings
  • Great show, corny music countdown

    I love this show — a unique survey across many topics, just like Monocle. As much as I also love Fernando Augusto Pacheco, the global countdown features some of the corniest, least interesting music on earth. It can be fun and interesting occasionally but most of the time it’s full of poorly recycled pop (of late it’s been local takes on the “reggaeton beat + robot vocal” thing that every country now has their own version of). Can we do better on the music, guys?

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    ryan_ryan
    United States4 months ago
  • Excellent

    Excellent reporting and journalism. Enjoy the hosts sense of humor. I am a big fan of everything Monocle !

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    PepoPepa69
    United Statesa year ago
  • What BBC radio 4 should be

    Monocle entertains, educates and provides inspiration in a Reithian mix of content. Something that Lord Reith’s own BBC now fails to do.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Our boy Ged
    United Kingdom2 years ago
  • Smug and Boring

    Yawn

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    lolololol 12334
    United States2 years ago
  • Disappointed

    I have adored Monocle for years, however I have found its neutral, almost pro-Zionist coverage of the genocide in Gaza incredibly disappointing. I listen to The Briefing every morning and feel frustrated most days. I thought Monocle stood for more and wanted to see the world a better place.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Clickalick
    Australia3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Essential part of my morning routine, great source of daily news.
I love the magazine and the hosts, great daily briefing with insightful guests.
Very well produced, love the presenter and his voice, funny at times, like channel four news if it was a podcast and a longer version of The Economist's Intelligence podcast.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#241
United States/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#85
Canada/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#143
United Kingdom/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#126
Australia/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#137
Italy/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#162
France/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Brazil election: the world and the markets react
Q: Does that make your work more difficult though?
Binaifer Nowrojee says human-rights groups must be humble, adaptable and better listeners, building connections across networks rather than assuming existing approaches will work.
Brazil election: the world and the markets react
Q: What's driven this?
Fernando Aguas de Pacheco says Lula's energetic second-round campaign appealed to centrist voters and people who had not voted in the first round, contributing to higher turnout.
Spain’s second deadly high-speed train crash in nine months
Q: How is this going to get sorted out?
Ruth Michelson says negotiations will follow the election, with possible alliances between the opposition and Palestinian-Israeli parties, a unity government, or another election.
Spain’s second deadly high-speed train crash in nine months
Q: What do we know at this point about what happened?
Liam Aldis reports that two trains collided after an Irio train stopped because of a track error during signaling maintenance, and that the early account points to a communication failure.
Record high turnout early on in Israeli elections
Q: How much of the National Theatre's history and identity is expressed by the building itself?
Keturah Morris says its open architecture, broad staircases and terraces encourage interaction and shared experience. The building's democratic design reflects the theatre's aim to be a public space that belongs to its audience.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Briefing

What is The Briefing about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A brisk, global-coverage briefing that threads international diplomacy, geopolitics, energy markets, and macro-economic trends with cultural and design-conscious interludes. Episodes frequently examine multilateral diplomacy, Arctic and energy security, European politics, and major electoral contests, often pairing fast-paced news rundowns with on-the-ground reporting and expert analysis. A standout is the way guests from policy, business, and culture are woven into a single narrative, offering both rigorous context and broad interest, making it useful for listeners who want a grounded, world-facing view of today's headlines and long-term trends.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Briefing?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Briefing. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Briefing and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Briefing get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Briefing, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Briefing?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Briefing, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Briefing have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Briefing has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Briefing?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Briefing:

1. The Monocle Daily
2. The Globalist
3. Monocle on Sunday
4. The Foreign Desk
5. The Urbanist

How many episodes of The Briefing are there?

The Briefing launched 15 years ago and published 134 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Briefing?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Briefing?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Briefing from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Briefing?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Briefing. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Briefing?

Recent guests on The Briefing include:

1. Inzimam Rashid
2. Ashbhard Waj
3. Paul Waldie
4. Ed Stoker
5. Nick Manese
6. Inga Thordar
7. Fernando Augusto Pacheco
8. Nada Al-Tayha

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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