With the internet, people can get a lot of content they like. The thing is, there is just too much to consume.
This is why podcast has become the medium for on-demand content. When people are getting used to enjoying whatever they want, whenever they want, thanks to the internet and streaming media, they are no longer required to stick around on time to listen to discussions or catch up to their favorite TV shows.
With podcast, people can simply choose whatever they want, and consume them whenever they want, at their own pace.
Among the popular places for podcasts, include Spotify, Apple Podcast and many others.
If the many places people can subscribe to aren't enough, there is yet another new kid on the block.
That kid is apparently the giant YouTube.
YouTube is may be the largest streaming platform the internet has ever seen.
With hundreds of hours of footage uploaded to YouTube every minute. The platform has billions of its videos watched by people around the world, every single day.
Although YouTube has long been the favored method of viewing videos, it has yet to catch up to the popularity of podcasts.
Realizing its content creators' vlog content is a different being than podcasts in a number of ways, YouTube wants to eat a bit of Spotify's market share in the podcast business, by launching its own podcast feature, through what it calls the 'Explore' feature.
As users may expect, the page is dedicated to curating podcasts for users to view and explore.
Up on top, users can see a list of popular podcasts and popular episodes along with other recommendations, which include menus for “Recommended” shows, “Popular episodes,” “Popular podcast playlists,” and “Popular podcast creators.”
Users can also refine their search, and scroll down through a few provided genres.
Initially, the genres include comedy, true crime, music, sports, and TV & film.
There’s also a row in the middle that shows popular channels with podcasts that users can subscribe to.
The page is essentially a one-stop shop for users to find the podcasts they want.
This YouTube podcast feature first emerged earlier this 2022, when it was reported that YouTube would soon add a dedicated podcasts homepage. This signaled that the company was getting more serious about its investments in podcasts, and the potential ad revenue the feature could deliver.
"The podcast destination page on YouTube helps users explore new and popular podcast episodes, shows and Creators, as well as recommend podcast content," said YouTube spokesperson, Paul Pennigton, confirming the feature's release.
"It’s currently available in the U.S. only."
YouTube stated that after realizing that the https://www.youtube.com/podcasts URL was discovered to be live ahead of any formal announcement.
The existence of a dedicated page for podcasts first came to light when an 84-page document reportedly leaked in March.
The rather silent launch of YouTube’s Podcast page, however, might be done by design. This is because the feature is still quite basic for a full fledged podcast.