On Sportify, video podcasts arrive for both Free and Premium users: here's what they are
Spotify has announced the arrival of video podcasts on its platform for listening to streaming music. The service is available for both Free and Premium users, who will be able to watch as well as listen to their favorite shows both via browser and through the dedicated app.
With the introduction of video podcasts, Spotify expands the offer for its users who will be able to access not only the audio of their favorite shows, but also the version with video attached. An additional feature that seems to want to openly challenge YouTube, since many of the podcasters who already publish on Google's video content platform would be ready to broadcast their videos on the music streaming site as well.
Podcast videos on Spotify, what are they?
Podcasts began as a personal diary kept on the first Apple iPods and were a voice recording, to be listened to at will, of some topic dear to us. Over the years, the rapid evolution of technology has led podcasts to become audio files to be listened to not only on iPods or Apple devices, but recordings that can be accessed from computers or smartphones, either streaming from the web or downloading them as audio files. The further evolution comes with video podcasts, where the visual content of the video is added to the recording. These digital diaries have thus become part of our daily lives, to be listened to while walking or streamed now also on Spotify.
Spotify launches video podcasts
Not just listening, but also content to watch. Spotify announced on July 21 the introduction of video podcasts to its rich and extensive Streaming Content Library. The news affects not only Premium subscription users, but also everyone who uses a free version. Video podcasts can be watched from either Spotify's desktop app, smartphone app or browser version.
At the moment, the video starts automatically when the podcast starts and if you exit the app or lock your device, while the audio continues to play. Among the first to publish their video podcasts on Spotify are Book of Basketball 2.0, Fantasy Footballers, The Misfits Podcast, H3 Podcast, The Morning Toast, Higher Learning with Van Lathan & Rachel Lindsay and The Rooster Teeth Podcast.
The first rumors of the arrival of video podcasts on Spotify date back to May, when the company signed a deal with the author of the podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, which is already in video version on YouTube. Rogan signed the deal with the streaming platform, where he will begin publishing his video podcasts. On the other hand, for podcast authors this represents a great opportunity: to have a second platform where they can share their content and thus a wider audience, while Spotify expands its offer for users in an innovative way and in step with their needs.