YouTube wants to provide a better experience for users who turn to the platform to listen to podcasts.
Although it is still a long way from the features expected of a podcast platform, it already has a dedicated page to discover this type of content.
YouTube starts showing a page dedicated to podcasts
As 9to5Google mentions, YouTube already has a dedicated page for podcasts, which is located within the “Explore” categories. A dynamic that is already available both in the web version and in the YouTube mobile app in the United States, and which was confirmed by the Google team to TC:
The podcast landing page on YouTube helps users explore new and popular episodes, shows, podcasters, and recommend podcast content.
If we access this section we will find a series of podcast recommendations. For example, we’ll see a carousel with popular episodes, popular podcasters, podcast playlist suggestions, just like music and channel suggestions.
However, you won’t find any special features for podcasts, or a different player or a new interface. At the moment, it’s just a new section dedicated to podcasts. So the rest of the dynamic is the same one that is implemented for any video.
Of course, you can use some of the player’s features while listening to the podcast, such as options to control speed, fast-forward, pause, etc. Or you can save the podcast to your library, like, share, save to listen to later, and more.
It remains to be seen if YouTube decides to invest more changes dedicated to podcasts. Not only with functions that facilitate the discovery of new podcasts, but also those options that allow us to customize some of the options of the episodes.
And on the other hand, it remains up in the air to know what will happen to Google Podcasts. Perhaps it will be integrated into this YouTube proposal and disappear as a separate service.
