Spotify Expands with a Surge of New Video-Based Podcast Offerings

The important part of podcasts is the audio and the conversation that’s going on, but some shows have video versions you can watch, too. Spotify allowed podcast hosts to upload video, but until now, only some hand-picked podcasts could do it. Now, Spotify is opening the feature up to all creators.

In a move to further boost its video podcast offerings, Spotify has quietly rolled out a new feature allowing all podcast creators to upload video content directly to the platform, regardless of their hosting provider. Previously, this option was limited to creators using Spotify for Podcasters or specific partner platforms. The end result is that you might start seeing more podcasts with video versions on Spotify, especially for shows that already have video versions on YouTube or other platforms, now that the option is available to all podcasters on Spotify.

The new feature simplifies the process for creators, who can now easily add video versions to their existing audio-only episodes through the Spotify for Podcasters portal. Podcasts can still be audio-only, though, it’s not a requirement. Likewise, as a listener, you can also choose to just listen to the podcast instead of watching it.

What is clear is that the company really wants creators to upload video to their podcasts. Over 250,000 video podcasts have been uploaded to the platform, a substantial increase from 100,000 in 2023. With video podcasts now being open to basically all creators, this number will likely grow exponenntially. The company also shared that over 170 million users globally are engaging with video podcasts on Spotify, with a 40% year-over-year increase in monthly active viewers. Spotify is definitely pitching this as a way for shows to get more attention.

Video podcasts have been available through the Spotify app for a while, and you don’t need to do anything to see the videos from these new creators. If you don’t like the videos, you can just ignore them and keep listening to the audio in the background, or use a different app for podcasts like Pocket Casts or Apple Podcasts .

Source: PodNews , TechCrunch

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