Yes, YouTube is a video platform, and is thus primarily focused on visual content. But it’s also seeing drastic growth in podcast listening, as more podcasters look to host video versions of their episodes in the app.
Today, YouTube has announced that podcasts now see over a billion monthly active viewers in the app every month, which is a huge amount of engagement for a primarily audio format.
YouTube’s audio only listening experience (for Premium subscribers), combined with the rising number of celebrity–led podcasts, which include engaging video elements, have seen more and more people turning to the platform for the latest pod content, and have helped drive a whole new engagement segment in the app.
As explained by YouTube:
“Podcasts with video are more than just a trend, they meet audiences where they are: on YouTube. We’ve specifically developed our podcast product experience to make it easier for fans to find podcasts they love, discover new ones, and watch (or listen) wherever they want. We’ve also added more and more podcasters into our revenue sharing program, the YouTube Partner Program.”
That, YouTube says, has now helped to make its platform the most frequently used service for listening to podcasts in the U.S.
“Our unique search and recommendations help people discover their next favorite podcast. Podcasts on YouTube and YouTube Music are also everywhere our users are, even TVs. Last year, viewers watched over 400M hours of podcasts monthly on living room devices.”
It does seem somewhat counter intuitive, that YouTube, the leading video platform, is also driving such significant audio engagement. But again, with many celebrities and creators leaning into podcasts as a secondary connection stream, including many YouTube stars, the format does align with the platform’s broader posting approach.
Which could also open up more opportunities for advertisers.
You can place ads in YouTube podcasts via Google Ads, while you could also look to partner with relevant creators for product endorsements and live reads.
Given the reach potential, that may be worth considering, and there’s a range of options for tapping into podcast content, and connecting with that audience.
Definitely, a billion viewers/listeners is worthy of note, and could be another consideration in your broader outreach.