As if the YouTube shelves weren’t enough for trending, YouTube seems to be all over the competition. This time, Spotify. As you may already know, Spotify is primarily a music streaming platform. However, they have radio shows and podcasts as well. Most known for having exclusive rights to the controversial podcast, ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’. YouTube plans to have more content creators post on their platform, more than any other, with better monetization, among other great features. Find out more about YouTube’s potential move into the podcast world below.
It’s a leak? What’s a leak?
Before we progress any further on this topic, please not that this YouTube feature is a leak. It was leaked from a relatively reliable source. However, with any sort of leak, do take it with a grain of salt. Below, you will find the leak itself. It appears to be a leaked slide from a presentation deck prepared for an internal pitch; very likely to upper management at YouTube/Google.
What Does This Mean for YouTube?
With podcasters already flocking to the platform for video format versions of their respective podcast, having an audio version also available on the platform is a massive win for both the convenience of the consumer, and the producer of the content. Some people may find it strange that YouTube is getting into the audio world after constant success in the video realm. However, I disagree with the previous statement, and think it’s a great move for the platform moving forward. Having a bit of everything at this point for YouTube is a great option. They have nearly perfected long form video, with everyone in the world basically using YouTube where applicable. YouTube has a greater picture, and ultimately, being a multimedia platform involves having different mediums of consuming it. Video, audio, music, YouTube will eventually have it all, and having podcasts be available.
What About Other Audio Formats?
According to YouTube themselves, in late 2020, music streaming on the platform hit an all-time high of 77 million paying subscribers worldwide. That’s not bad at all. While YouTube’s primary focus is still video, it most certainly has some interest in the audio space from the average consumer. 77 million people don’t just subscribe out of thin air. YouTube likely plans to monetize their podcast platform as well, with pre-roll mid-streaming and post-roll advertising. YouTube already has a solid foundation on this front, so why not build on it with podcasts?
Podcasts are just another format possibly being added to YouTube. Since it is a leak, please take the information with a grain of salt, as it is entirely possible that even though it will likely happen, podcasts on the YouTube platform may never happen. For instance, take a video game, where leaks happen all the time in the industry. Half the time, the leaks never happen, especially if they are text based. However, this one seems to have a bit of merit, even if it is something somebody could whip up in an hour on photoshop. Having a podcast platform on YouTube would be fantastic and convenient for both the platform, and the user. YouTube Music has also seen steady growth, and I hope it continues to do so. After all, you just never know what Google may pull next, as this was a curveball.
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