YouTube Becomes King of Podcasts (Thanks to Gen Z)

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If you’re asked what the main app for podcasts is, you’ll probably think of services dedicated to the audio format, such as Spotify or Apple Podcasts. But according to a study published by Edison Research, in the United States, this format is now dominated by the video app YouTube. According to this study, 31% of people who listen to podcasts every week in the Land of Uncle Sam use YouTube, compared to 27% for Spotify and 15% for Apple Podcasts.

“A few years ago, YouTube might have seemed like an unlikely platform for podcasts. But as the world of podcasting evolves, many podcasters have embraced video podcasting, recording their shows in both audio and video formats,” Edison Research’s publication reads. And this trend is reportedly being led by Gen Z, for whom being able to watch their favorite podcasters is a plus for engagement.

An unexpected success

In any case, the success of the podcast format on YouTube does not seem to have been anticipated by Google. The latter had created a Google Podcasts application, dedicated to the audio format, and without video, which it ended up closing this year. “[…] we will increase our investment in the podcast experience on YouTube Music – by making it a better overall destination for fans and podcasters through YouTube-specific features in terms of community, discovery and audio/visual switching”, the firm had declared in its announcement.

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According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Google would have detected the potential of the podcast format on its video platform five years ago. “We’ve seen this trend emerge organically,” said Tim Katz, YouTube’s vice president of partnerships, according to the paper. “And we wanted to invest in this area”. Video is also advantageous for podcast creators, since they can generate revenue by receiving a portion of YouTube's advertising revenue.

Spotify invests in video

Moreover, it's not just on YouTube that video podcasts are booming. Spotify recently also mentioned this trend on its platform, which was created for audio streaming. “More than 250 million users have watched a video podcast on Spotify, and nearly two-thirds of podcast listeners say they prefer podcasts with video”, the company said. It also announced new opportunities for creators to generate more revenue from video podcasts.

• According to a study, YouTube has become the leading app for podcasts in the United States
• Indeed, more and more people prefer to consume podcasts in video format, especially Generation Z
• YouTube reportedly detected this trend five years ago and decided to invest
• Podcasts with video are also a hit on Spotify

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