Back in August last year, we laughed at Google for duplicating Google Podcasts functionality in a dedicated YouTube Podcasts page, something the company has done a lot in the past. Now, though, the action makes sense and plan seems to be taking shape. Google Podcasts stopped showing up in Search results, and we’re recently learning of a new YouTube experiment allowing a chosen set of creators to upload podcasts to the site, perhaps for integration with YouTube Music down the road.

A new YouTube support page details an ongoing experiment where the platform allows a handful of creators to make podcasts in YouTube Studio (only on desktop), upload them with just a static image instead of a video, and distribute them through the main YouTube app. Podnews notes creators can also view all their podcast uploads and convert an existing playlist into a podcast. Like with any other video upload, Studio also gives the uploader access to performance, audience, and revenue data for each podcast.

youtube-podcasts-home-page

The content uploaded as a part of this test also shows up on the dedicated Podcasts homepage on YouTube, currently accessible only in the US. The webpage also displays Google’s third iteration of the podcast logo, colored in blue instead of red. YouTube viewers outside the US can see all these podcast uploads as regular YouTube videos. We could interpret the option to mark existing content as podcasts without manual conversion as YouTube's way of setting up a content library to hit the ground running when it makes everything official.

In the light of the confirmed Google Podcasts removal from Search results, YouTube’s interest in podcasting isn’t a big surprise. Since it is a Google subsidiary, the video sharing platform could eventually step in as the ultimate successor for Google Podcasts. As Chrome Unboxed points out, the Podcasts homepage appearing in the YouTube app’s Discover tab and YouTube Music making background playback a free feature could be a preparation for hosting podcasts in a big way. We believe YouTube Music could fill those shoes because it already specializes in audio content, some of which overlaps with the main YouTube library.

YouTube has made no official statements about the recent interest in long-form audio content, and Google is equally tight-lipped about Podcasts potentially shutting down as a platform, but we have a feeling we will hear more about this in the days to come. Who knows, this might even lead to the revival of the Android Police Podcast channel on YouTube.

UPDATE: 2023/02/23 12:23 EST BY STEPHEN SCHENCK

YouTube confirms plans

Well, we said that it sure felt like formal news about this change was right around the corner, and a couple days later, that's just what we're getting. The Verge reports that YouTube podcast lead Kai Chuk confirms YouTube Music will officially be embracing podcasts "in the near future."