YouTube Music is planning to introduce podcasts

While YouTube has become a popular platform for hosting video podcasts, it has yet to successfully venture into the realm of solely audio-based shows, as it is currently owned by Google.

On Thursday, Kai Chuk, the head of YouTube podcasting, announced that podcasts will soon be added to YouTube Music. This move will make audio and video-first podcasts more discoverable and accessible to users in the United States, with more regions to come. A YouTube spokesperson told TechCrunch that this will allow users to access the podcasts they already love on YouTube from all the places they want to listen. The good news is that even if you lock your phone while listening, your show will not be interrupted as background listening will be available for free. However, the free service will have ads. This announcement was made at the Hot Pod Summit and follows other recent YouTube feature updates such as multi-language audio dubbing on videos and custom radio stations on YouTube Music.

Reports indicate that YouTube is not interested in exclusive deals with podcasters, which differs from Spotify's key strategy. YouTube wants to blend the experience of listening to podcasts on both video and audio. This approach aims to reduce friction, allowing users to switch between video and audio, even in the middle of an episode. However, it's important to note that not all video podcasts will work seamlessly as audio, and vice versa. Nevertheless, creators will have access to podcast tools in YouTube Studio, facilitating the process of setting videos as podcasts. Later in the year, YouTube plans to allow creators to upload podcasts directly to the platform via RSS feeds.

As of November, YouTube Music and YouTube Premium have over 80 million subscribers, including those on free trials. Despite this, Spotify remains the market leader in paid music streaming, boasting over 205 million subscribers.