© Christian Hartmann/Reuters
Spotify is making a big push into the world of video podcasts, and they’re not holding back! The platform has quietly opened the floodgates, allowing all podcast creators to upload video versions of their shows directly to Spotify. This means you might start seeing a lot more podcasts with video content popping up on your feed, especially shows that already have visual versions on YouTube or other platforms.
Previously, this option was reserved for only a select group of handpicked creators using Spotify’s hosting platform. Still, the new open video policy aims to supercharge the platform’s expanding video content library. Spotify revealed over 250,000 video podcasts have already been uploaded, nearly doubling last year’s total. But that number is all but guaranteed to skyrocket now that any podcaster can bring their videos into the Spotify ecosystem.
The company is clearly gunning to become the premiere destination for engaging video podcast content. And it seems the strategy is paying off, with 170 million global Spotify users reported to be regularly tuning into video podcast programming. That viewership is up a sizable 40% in the past year alone.
By streamlining the upload process through Spotify for Podcasters, creators face no barriers to syncing up video versions of their shows with existing audio-only episodes. Listeners also have full control over whether to watch or simply listen. However, the open invite puts pressure on all podcasters to consider enhancing their programs with visual elements.
