Not exactly a presentation topic, but I get so much of my presentation industry news and tech info from podcasts I feel this is a topic worthy of The Presentation Podcast. The Google podcasts app launched in 2018, and was shut down April 2, 2024. In reality, Google Podcasts are not gone, just the app. Podcasts are being integrated into YouTube Music.
If you used the Google Podcasts app, which admittedly I did not, a migration tool has been available to transfer listener podcast subscriptions to YouTube Music (the other note is the migration tool was only available for U.S. users). But now that we are in mid-April, and the reason for this blog post with my calendar reminder to investigate podcasts on YouTube Music, went off, and I have investigated. I am not seeing podcasts in YouTube Music, nor on YouTube and the Podcasts tab. There are several video podcasts, but no audio only podcasts.
The press release I found (thank you Podcast Tonight Newsletter) notes the move is part of a strategy to simplify the podcast listening experience by combining it with music streaming, creating a one-stop audio destination on YouTube Music. Google believes this change will improve podcast discovery, encourage more community interaction, and make switching between audio podcasts and video content easier – an area where Spotify is also making strides. With 23% of weekly podcast users in the U.S preferring YouTube over Google Podcasts’ meager 4%, Google sees this transition as a necessary step to cater to user needs and habits.
Note: my podcast, The Presentation Podcast, is not available on YouTube podcasts yet… adding that to my list of updates to work through!
Troy @ TLC