YouTube’s new podcast page doesn’t have a lot of podcasts. The page has a few popular ones like “The Joe Rogan Experience” and “The Tim Ferriss Show,” but it’s missing some of the most popular ones. Some people are disappointed because they think YouTube should be more like Apple, which has a lot of popular podcasts. But YouTube’s head of content, Susan Wojcicki, says that the company is still trying to figure out what kind of podcasts people want to listen to. Wojcicki says that YouTube is also working on new features for its podcasting platform, like making it easier for people to find and subscribe to podcasts. She says that YouTube wants to make sure that its podcasting platform is as good as its video platform, which is already one of the most popular websites in the world. ..
Podcasts are having a resurgence at the moment, with companies like Spotify and Apple investing millions of dollars in exclusive shows. YouTube is now entering the mix, starting with a new page dedicated to podcasts.
Google has created a new page at youtube.com/podcasts, which highlights popular episodes and playlists for video podcasts already on YouTube. However, some of the recommended videos aren’t strictly podcasts — there are a few “story time” videos, some reaction content, and even regular news clips from channels like NBC and Fox News. The definition of podcasts is fairly loose, especially on a video platform, but I’m not sure anyone thinks “that’s a podcast” when they see NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.
Podcasts have been commonplace on YouTube for years, even for shows without any visual content, but the new page is the first attempt from the platform to separate that content. Back in March, a leaked presentation indicated YouTube was working on more features for podcast publishers, including the ability to publish episodes to YouTube straight from an RSS feed (like how Spotify and Apple Podcasts work) and audio advertisements. The now-live podcasts page was also mentioned in the presentation.
YouTube will likely add more podcast features in the coming months, if earlier reports are accurate. It’s still not clear what will happen to Google Podcasts, the company’s current discovery tool and player for podcasts.
Via: 9to5Google
