YouTube Music is officially adding podcasts to its platform in the United States on Android, iOS and the web. The launch comes a a few months later YouTube’s head of podcasting, Kai Chuk, revealed that podcasts will soon be added to YouTube Music.
The update allows users who watch podcasts in the main app to continue listening to them on YouTube Music. The company notes that all users can listen to podcasts on demand, offline, in the background, and while streaming, and can seamlessly switch between audio and video versions in YouTube Music.
“This podcast listening experience is different from our music listening experience, where you need a Premium or Music Premium subscription to enjoy some of these features,” the company wrote in a statement. blog post. “This new podcast listening experience complements the podcast video experience on YouTube.”
Podcasts in YouTube Music will be available regardless of whether you have a YouTube Premium subscription. YouTube even notes that paying customers can encounter host read endorsements or sponsorship messages when listening to podcasts on YouTube Music.
Image Credits: Youtube
YouTube is rolling out the update to all of its listeners in the United States gradually, which means that not everyone may see it yet. The company said it plans to bring podcasts to YouTube Music to users outside the United States soon, but did not provide specific details about the launch.
The YouTube Music Home tab now includes a new “Podcasts” tab that takes you to a dedicated feed, which will display your favorite podcasts and recommended episodes.
YouTube advises creators that if their podcast is audio-only, they should consider uploading a video with a static image or using audiograms or other dynamic video formats. The company notes that it will soon offer creators the option to directly upload their audio podcasts via RSS feeds to both YouTube and YouTube Music.
According to previous reports, YouTube is not looking to sign exclusive deals with podcasters, which has been a key strategy at Spotify. Instead, YouTube seems to be focused on merging the experience of listening to video and audio podcasts.
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