YouTube’s Head of Podcasting just delivered an update about his company’s audio plans. At the 2023 Hot Pod Summit, Kai Chuk revealed that podcasts will be added to YouTube Music “in the near future.”
Podcasts are already available all over YouTube. Last year, the platform launched a hub that aggregates video versions of recorded shows. That destination was already in the works when YouTube promoted Chuk to his current position in 2021.
By adding podcasts to its music service, YouTube is serving consumers who want to listen to their favorite shows without watching any accompanying videos. YouTube Music subscribers will be able to listen to podcasts in the background while browsing other apps. “If someone wants to watch a podcast, we have a solution,” Chuk said. “If someone wants to listen to a podcast only, we should have a great experience for that as well.”
Podcasts will join the other audio tracks that are already accessible on YouTube Music. The service just received a big update that will make it possible for users to create and customize their own radio stations. The incoming Creator Music platform will provide an additional aid for creators who wish to use mainstream songs in their videos.
“Our focus is on creators, so as long as they find it successful and helpful, that’s success for us,” Chuk said. “We’re just focused on the YouTube users and ecosystem and bringing podcasts into that fold.”
YouTube has found numerous ways to encourage podcast creation within its community. It has reportedly offered financial incentives for videomakers who upload podcasts, and it has authored a podcast guide to optimize its long-form audio programming. Its recently-launched audio ads provide another layer of monetization within podcast episodes.
All of these assets will help YouTube Music match competitors like Spotify. That platform has inched into YouTube’s territory by bringing its video podcast capabilities across the globe, but it doesn’t have an easy answer for YouTube’s homegrown community. While Spotify parts ways with major programming execs, YouTube is leaning into an audience that is hungry for podcasts. That’s made it the most-used podcasting platform in the United States, according to a 2022 study.
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