YouTube is already testing uploading podcasts via RSS

Ben Schoon | May 24 2023 - 7:17 am PT

YouTube’s big podcasts push has most certainly arrived, with podcasts now in the YouTube Music app. But it seems the platform isn’t done, with YouTube currently testing uploading podcasts via RSS, but only with select shows.

Podcasts have run via RSS for years and years at this point, and it’s always been a crucial feature of any podcast platform to support ingesting new podcast episodes through RSS feeds. YouTube’s take on podcasts, however, skipped that at launch, instead focusing on manual uploads via YouTube’s existing apps.

According to an internal document shared by Podnews, though, YouTube is starting to test the ability to upload podcasts via an RSS feed.

The functionality is currently in a limited pilot preview, with testing performed with “key strategic partners.” Two shows noted as using the feature include CNN One Thing and CityCast Pittsburgh. Uploading podcasts through RSS on YouTube works by automatically uploading new episodes as they are released to RSS, with YouTube pulling the show’s art and using that to create a static image video to go along with the audio file. YouTube notes in the document that it can upload a back catalog via RSS, but the original publish date won’t match up (yet).

A notable limit of uploading podcasts to YouTube through RSS is that statistics won’t work in a “passthrough” format. The stats will only be available through YouTube directly.

Something else that’s interesting is that YouTube requires that podcasts uploaded in this way cannot include “regular ads.” Sponsor segments are allowed as long as they are properly marked, but feeds must be “ad-free.”

It’s not clear when YouTube plans to open up this functionality to all users, but it is something YouTube confirmed was coming “later this year.”