YouTube says 1 billion people listen to podcasts on its platform each month. YouTube may not be a podcast-only app, but this content has caught the attention of listeners. The 1 billion figure is far higher than the number of users who listen to podcasts on Apple and Spotify platforms.
In 2023, Spotify reported having 100 million regular podcast listeners and said that half a billion people had listened to at least one podcast since 2019. Based on third-party metrics, Apple is even further behind Spotify. Based on the numbers the companies report, YouTube appears to be favorite platform users’
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However, the very large audience requires extra work from podcasters. In order for listeners to be able to turn off their phone screen and listen to a podcast, they have to pay for YouTube Premium. In addition, users may not want to stare at a static image for too long. This means that podcasters have to make the content more interesting, for example by creating videos. This means that podcasters are in a way called upon to become YouTubers.
Creating videos for YouTube is much more expensive these days. A podcast video doesn’t require a lot of things to drive up the cost significantly, but the creator still has to invest in creating quality content. YouTube says that users watched more than 400 million hours of podcasts on TVs alone last year. Video clearly matters. Creators can’t just turn on their cameras and hope for a good result.
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Additionally, to reach a larger audience on YouTube, you have to play by the platform’s rules. YouTube doesn’t work with RSS feeds the same way most other podcast platforms do. Each podcast must become a native YouTube video. This also requires complying with advertising policies and using ad systems . Podcasters can’t run ads the same way they do on other platforms.
However, most of the creators' effort can indeed bring more users to the platform, according to the numbers reported by the company. It may not be a traditional podcast platform, but YouTube is a large platform that cannot be ignored.
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The increase in podcast listenership on YouTube significantly impacts the podcast market, as it highlights YouTube as one of the dominant platforms for consuming this type of content. This leads to greater exposure and recognition for the platform's creators.
The success of podcasts on YouTube may encourage other platforms to invest more in supporting and promoting this type of content, thus creating a more dynamic and multidimensional ecosystem for the podcast market.
Source: www.theverge.com
