Undetectable Humanizer: Lifetime Subscription
Transform AI-Generated Text into Human-Like, High-Ranking Content & Bypass Even the Most Sophisticated AI Detectors
Get 95% Deal

Podcasts are coming to YouTube Music, but there is a caveat

Martin Brinkmann
Feb 24, 2023
Youtube
|
1

YouTube Music is getting dedicated support for podcasts soon, according to a recent announcement by YouTube's head of podcasting Kai Chuk. Chuk revealed the plan during the Hot Pod Summit. The company plans to expand the podcast experience on YouTube through its YouTube Music subscription service.

youtube music interface

YouTube is a popular destination for podcasts already, but not in the traditional audio-centric sense. Many podcasters upload video recordings of their podcasts, or parts thereof, to YouTube. It is a cheap way to increase the reach of the podcast and generate new listeners on the main platforms. Also, there is money to be made on YouTube as well.

YouTube launched a dedicated Podcasts directory in mid-2022, but it focused on video podcasts.

Google plans to extend the offering by including dedicated audio podcasts, which will then be available exclusively on YouTube Music.

YouTube Music and Premium, which includes YouTube Music and an ad-free environment on YouTube, reached 80 million subscribers last year. This puts Google's paid YouTube offerings next to Apple Music, which had about 88 million subscribers in mid-2022. Spotify, on the other hand, has more than 200 million subscribers worldwide at the time.

Spotify focused on podcasts in recent years, as it saw podcasts as an opportunity to bind subscribers and generate more revenue. The company signed several exclusive deals with podcasters in the past.

YouTube Music will get an enhanced feature set for podcasts and there may also be a free ad-supported podcast listening option. Google plans to highlight audio podcasts on YouTube to highlight the feature and create specific podcast recommendations for users who listen to podcasts. There will also be library controls, and the ability to continue listening to podcasts on all connected devices.

According to the report, Google is currently not looking to sign exclusive deals with podcasters to promote the service. The company plans to add RSS upload functionality for podcasts to the site though, but it is unclear how that is going to work exactly.

Google has a dedicated podcast app, which is called Google Podcasts. The podcast service launched in 2018 as a web-based service and application for iOS and Android, and it is here to stay, according to Google.

I reviewed the initial Google Podcasts app for Android, and was unimpressed by it. Apps like Newsly, AntennaPod, or Pocket Casts offer better functionality.

There is still the possibility that Google will merge Google Podcasts into YouTube Music eventually, considering that it has done so with other products in the past already.  For now at least, it appears that Google Podcasts continues to remain a standalone product.

YouTube Music Podcasts: the caveat

One of the biggest drawbacks of extended podcasts support on YouTube is that Google plans to support podcasts only in the United States in the beginning. YouTube hints at unlocking the podcasting features to "more regions", but fails to provide a timetable for that.

Closing Words

It remains to be seen how popular YouTube's new audio podcasts service will become. Since it is not exclusive, it seems likely that many existing podcasts will upload their audio files to YouTube to increase their reach further.

Now You: do you listen to podcasts?

Summary
Podcasts are coming to YouTube Music, but there is a caveat
Article Name
Podcasts are coming to YouTube Music, but there is a caveat
Description
YouTube Music is getting dedicated support for podcasts soon, according to a recent announcement by YouTube's head of podcasting Kai Chuk.
Author
Publisher
Ghacks Technology News
Logo
Advertisement

Tutorials & Tips


Previous Post: «
Next Post: «

Comments

  1. App updates are data dumps said on February 24, 2023 at 5:33 pm
    Reply

    And by the time your podcast has successfully negotiated the “Political Casting Couch”, anything, ever presented on said podcast that is Non-woke or is even approaching dissenting opinions from the party line, will be summarily de-monetized, or outright de-platformed.
    How many are idiot enough to pay a premium for censorship?

    The primary difference between the people of current America, and those of the cold-war Soviet Union, is that to a man woman and child, the people of the Soviet Union knew that they were being propagandized, manipulated and lied to as a matter of normal course.
    Most Americans, hanging on every words from their main-stream talking head elitists, can’t wait to bury their heads up Uncle Sam’s hinder parts.

Leave a Reply

Check the box to consent to your data being stored in line with the guidelines set out in our privacy policy

We love comments and welcome thoughtful and civilized discussion. Rudeness and personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please stay on-topic.
Please note that your comment may not appear immediately after you post it.