YouTube Challenges Spotify and Apple with New Top Podcast Chart
YouTube is officially stepping up its podcast game. The platform, owned by Alphabet, has announced the launch of its own weekly top podcast chart, aiming to rival established players like Spotify and Apple. This move underscores YouTube's increasing dominance in the podcasting space, fueled by the growing popularity of video podcasts.
The new chart, updated every Wednesday, ranks podcasts based on watch time, offering a fresh perspective compared to Spotify and Apple's metrics, which factor in streams, downloads, subscribers, and other proprietary data. Currently, podcasts like "The Joe Rogan Experience," "Kill Tony," and "Rotten Mango" are topping YouTube's chart.
According to YouTube, podcasts on the platform attract more than one billion monthly active viewers. Edison Research data further supports this claim, identifying YouTube as the most frequently used service for listening to podcasts in the U.S., surpassing both Spotify and Apple. This shift is largely attributed to the rise of video podcasts, where YouTube's strength lies.
Ben Meiselas, co-founder of The MeidasTouch Podcast, highlights YouTube's attractive cost-per-mile (CPM) compared to other platforms. He also emphasizes their strategy of creating content specifically tailored for YouTube viewing habits, mirroring the way people consume cable news. MeidasTouch boasts nearly five million subscribers on YouTube and averages around 350 million views a month.
While Spotify has been aggressively expanding its podcasting presence, investing over $100 million in payouts to publishers and offering video support, YouTube's established user base and creator payouts presents a compelling offering for podcasters seeking a broader audience.
However, YouTube's chart reveals some notable differences compared to those of Spotify and Apple. Some well-established podcasts, such as "Call Her Daddy" and "Crime Junkie," are absent from YouTube's top 100 ranking. This discrepancy could be attributed to YouTube's emphasis on watch time and the importance of playlists designated as "podcasts" by creators. Certain podcasts may need to dedicate more time on content tailored for Youtube's landscape to ensure they perform well.
Brandon Feldman, the director of news, civics, and podcast partnerships at YouTube, emphasizes the chart as a tool to understand influencers in the American consumers space and provide inspiration to podcasters looking to grow their audience.
The launch of YouTube's podcast chart signals a significant shift in the podcasting landscape. As video podcasts continue to gain traction, YouTube's platform and focus on watch time may reshape how podcasts are discovered and consumed. Will youtube's dominance and ranking methodology become the new standard in the industry?
What are your thoughts on YouTube entering the podcast ranking arena? Share your opinions in the comments below!
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