It’s the end of the road for Google Podcasts. Come April 2 and we will be seeing the last of the Google podcast service. While this might seem like the end of an era, well, that isn’t the case. Rather the fact is, Google isn’t quitting the podcasting realm. Rather, as ArsTechnica reported, it’s going to come back rebranded as YouTube Podcasts and hopefully, it checks most of the boxes this time, if not all. Google has failed to make a mark in the podcasting business in spite of the segment experiencing exponential growth at the moment.
Google Podcasts also never had a smooth run as such since its inception back in 2016. In any case, Google Podcasts had been the search giant’s third attempt at the podcasting business. Prior to that, there were Google Listen and Google Play Music Podcasts. Initially rooted in indexing podcast content within Google Search results, things took on a more mature turn with the launch of its standalone app in 2018.
However, things never sort of settled down as Google Podcasts was besotted with experimentation and adaptation. It wasn’t until 2018 that users could finally subscribe to podcasts within the app, and even then, its integration within the Google Search app left many scratching their heads. The subsequent launch of an iOS app in 2020 hinted at a newfound commitment, but rumors of “YouTube Podcasts” swiftly overshadowed its prospects.
Google’s consolidation of its podcasting business under the YouTube brand also marks a strategic shift. Needless to say, Google is aiming to leverage YouTube’s huge popularity, its vast reach, and an established ecosystem. With YouTube Podcasts, users can expect a seamless integration of audio content alongside their favorite videos, tapping into a diverse array of creators and topics.
By harnessing the power of YouTube, Google aims to provide users with a richer, more immersive podcasting experience. With YouTube Podcasts, users will be taken to a whole new world of podcasting where the boundaries between audio and video content blur, and storytelling transcends mediums. However, it would be interesting to see how things pan out in the long term, or how hardcore podcast fans react to the changed scenario.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.