YouTube tops U.S. podcast platforms with 1 billion monthly views

YouTube may be best known as the king of video, but it’s also quietly taking over the podcasting world. In a space once dominated by Spotify and Apple Podcasts, YouTube has emerged as the most frequently used service for listening to podcasts in the U.S.

The numbers speak for themselves—YouTube recently reported that podcasts on the platform, including YouTube Music, now attract over a billion monthly active viewers. The platform has steadily integrated podcasting features across both apps, especially after shutting down Google Podcasts. Last year alone, viewers watched over 400 million hours of podcasts monthly on their living room devices.

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At first glance, this might seem counterintuitive. How does a video-first platform lead an audio-driven medium? YouTube’s advantage lies in its built-in discovery system, making finding new podcasts as seamless as stumbling upon the next viral video. With powerful search and recommendation algorithms, podcasts are surfaced to users already consuming similar content.

Initially, YouTube wasn’t even focused on podcasts. But during the pandemic, it noticed creators were organically uploading content, and audiences were flocking to it. Recognizing the opportunity, YouTube doubled down—improving discovery features, offering better analytics, and even paying podcasters up to $300,000 to create video versions of their shows.

The strategy worked. YouTube quickly overtook Spotify, which had invested heavily in podcasting but later scaled back, shutting down its in-house studio and reducing spending.

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The rise of video podcasts has also played a major role in YouTube’s dominance. Many celebrity-led podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience and Last Weekend with Theo Von now incorporate video elements, making the format more engaging. The growing popularity of short-form platforms like TikTok has also fueled the trend, as podcast clips go viral and drive traffic back to full-length episodes on YouTube.

Meanwhile, Spotify is fighting back, rolling out a partner program that pays video podcasters based on watch time. As of June 2024, 170 million people had watched a video podcast on Spotify, and it now hosts over 300,000 video podcasts, but YouTube’s sheer reach and discovery tools give it a clear edge.

With audio-only listening for Premium users, better podcasting tools, and improved monetization—including an updated mid-roll ad system launching in May—YouTube is set to continue to remain at the centre of this evolving landscape.

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