After months of build-up, YouTube has today officially announced that podcasts will soon be distributed through YouTube Music as part of a push for podcasting on the platform as a whole.
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During the “Hot Pod Summit” at On Air Fest in Brooklyn, YouTube’s Kai Chuk officially announced that podcasts will be coming to YouTube Music in the “near future.”
The announcement is still ongoing, but early details include that YouTube Music will stream podcasts even when their screen is locked, as Arielle Nissenblatt of SquadCast.fm tweeted.
Alban Brooke of Buzzsprout tweeted more details from the announcement including that YouTube Music’s podcast experience will be audio-first and includes “unifying the audio and video experience” as well as starting a podcast on one device before finishing it on another.
In an email, YouTube further explained that creators will be able to upload their audio podcasts via RSS “later this year,” and also clarified that YouTube Music will only support podcasts in the US for now.
We will soon start to bring both audio and video-first podcasts to YouTube Music for users in the US, making podcasts more discoverable and accessible, with more regions to come. This will help make the podcasts that users already love on YouTube, available in all the places they want to listen.
We’re also rolling out podcast creation in YouTube Studio, making it easier for Creators to set their videos as podcasts. Podcast playlists will be eligible for current and upcoming podcast features on YouTube, such as eligibility for youtube.com/podcasts, podcast badging, and inclusion in the YouTube Music app.
It was also mentioned at the HotPod Summit that YouTube will be introducing audio ads for podcasts. There’s no word on YouTube launching efforts for exclusive podcast deals as Spotify and others have.
Apparently, Google Podcasts won’t be immediately shut down as a result of podcasts being added to YouTube Music.
The announcement further added that YouTube will recommend podcasts based on a user’s listening habits and that YouTube Channels may have a dedicated “podcast” tab at some point. YouTube also clarified that music rights in podcasts will be the same as in videos.
This news comes just a few days after YouTube launched several new podcasting tools on desktop as part of a new test. Those tools include a dedicated way to upload podcasts on the platform’s “Create” button, as well as tools for curation and podcast analytics. YouTube’s podcast ambitions were first hinted at in 2021 when a report detailed some of the company’s plans. Leaked slides also detailed what was in store as YouTube appointed Kai Chuk, who made today’s announcement, as the platform’s “Podcast Lead.” Through 2022, YouTube added a dedicated page for podcasts, later releasing a guide with best practices for podcasting on YouTube.
YouTube Music this week also announced a new “Create a Radio” functionality for its Android and iOS app.
More on YouTube Music:
- YouTube Music bug sees ‘Top songs’ disappear from artist pages
- YouTube Music album redesign rolling out on Android and iPhone
- YouTube Music brings mood filters to the web
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