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Hi Reader,

YouTube is no longer the only player in long-form video.

In November 2024 on a podcast with Colin and Samir, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek revealed that Spotify now has a paying member base as large as Netflix's.

This means that YouTube isn't the only option now for distributing video podcasts.

The streaming giant has methodically positioned itself to become the Netflix of audio.

And now, they're making their biggest move yet: a full-scale push into video podcasting.

I wish they’d focus more on solving the discovery problem for audio podcasts.

But who knows, this might be their way of doing that.

The Road to Dominance

For the first decade of podcasting, Apple Podcasts dominated as a podcast player despite its flaws.

Then Spotify entered the scene and made podcast listening dramatically smoother.

Suddenly your music and podcasts lived in the same app. No more switching between platforms or excluding non-iOS users.

Spotify began testing video with high-profile podcasts they had invested $100+ million in.

Now, video consumption hours on Spotify grow faster than audio-only, with a 39% year-over-year increase in daily streams.

Now it’s widely available to smaller creators along with free hosting when you publish through Spotify for Podcasters.

Why This Matters

Spotify isn't just adding video because it's trendy.

They're building a premium content ecosystem.

The numbers tell the story: 263 million paying subscribers.

As a relatively new product category, video podcasts are likely to receive preferential algorithm treatment.

This directly challenges traditional discovery methods and offers access to a verified, premium audience that creators and advertisers crave.

Spotify’s rolling out a new clips feature that opens an entirely new distribution avenue for creators.

Instead of only publishing clips to Reels, TikTok, or Shorts, you can now distribute them directly within Spotify's ecosystem, potentially reaching millions of premium subscribers.

What’s nice is that you don’t need to create a whole new type of media asset for Spotify in order to take advantage of the extra distribution.

The Creator Trade-offs

The critical trade-off: investing in Spotify's video ecosystem might divert resources from your YouTube growth.

If YouTube isn't your primary growth channel, this might not matter to you.

But if it is, then you’d want to incentivize listeners to get to YouTube instead of staying on Spotify.

The visual nature of video also shifts judgment from your cover art to your video setup and appearance.

In Spotify’s Fan Study, audience behavior confirms that 70% of users consuming video podcasts watch in the foreground rather than just listening.

The Bigger Picture

The competition between these giants is fantastic news for us creators.

As Spotify, YouTube, and others battle for podcast supremacy, both have significant incentive to improve their products.

This competitive pressure is even waking up Apple Podcasts, which recently added web-based consumption after years of minimal innovation.

For creators, this presents strategic options: 1 in 3 U.S. podcast users on Spotify engage with video, and in Chile, video hours make up 25% of total podcast consumption.

The future of podcasting increasingly includes video.

Your decision is whether to embrace it on Spotify's turf or stick with YouTube.

Need a hand with starting or growing your podcast with YouTube? Book a free podcast strategy session here.

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In your corner,

Misbah Haque

Founder & Consultant at Pod Mahal​

Writer & Host of Habit Chess​

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