YouTube is introducing a dedicated ‘Podcasts’ sidebar shortcut for its Android and Google TV apps, aimed at enhancing the accessibility and discovery of podcast content. This move comes as YouTube has surpassed one billion monthly podcast users, prompting the platform to focus on improving its podcast features. Key aspects of this initiative include better monetization, advanced tools for creators, and increased discoverability as part of its strategic plans for 2025. The introduction of this shortcut is particularly significant given the hundreds of millions of viewing hours allocated to podcasts on living room devices.
It aims to stimulate further podcast consumption on YouTube TV. Although podcasts have traditionally been peripheral to the YouTube experience compared to platforms like Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, and Spotify, there are indications that this is gradually changing. Earlier this year, YouTube’s commitment to podcasts became evident with four strategic focuses for 2025. These include enhancing the podcast monetization model, providing tools for creators, and improving discoverability.
The rollout of the ‘Podcasts’ sidebar reflects the company’s efforts to offer easier access to podcasts for users on TV. This new feature will appear in the sidebar below Movies & TV and above Subscriptions, aligning more closely with the existing setup on YouTube’s web platform. As some users, including those with Nvidia Shield TV and Google TV Streamer, have not yet seen the new shortcut, it appears that the rollout is still ongoing. Once fully deployed, the shortcut is expected to significantly enhance the podcast viewing experience on YouTube, following the platform’s already impressive record of over 400 million podcast watch hours on living room devices last year, with further developments anticipated later this year.
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