After announcing that Google Podcasts would be folded, the Silicon Valley giant has added a podcast feature to its music streaming service, YouTube Music.
So far, however, the podcast functionality has left much to be desired. Now, the company has introduced a new function that allows users to subscribe to podcasts.
New Import Feature
The new feature lets users import podcasts via RRS. This means they can add the RSS feed of your favourite podcast to the app. New podcast episodes will then be retrieved and automatically imported. It's far from groundbreaking, as all podcast apps work similarly.
Additionally, YouTube Music also suggests popular podcasts on the platform.
An Attempt To Boost YouTube Music
Integrating podcasts into YouTube Music is certainly an attempt to add further value to the streaming service. Ending Google Podcasts, however, was an admission of failure.
Nevertheless, whether the integration is doing much for YouTube Music remains questionable. A significant investment into podcasts by Spotify proved to be a miscalculation—with revenue far below expectations.
According to Business of Apps, YouTube still reigns king in music streaming, with 2 billion active users. However, this number includes YouTube—not simply its premium service, YouTube Music, which has gathered 80 million paid subscribers. In comparison, YouTube Music's competition, Apple Music and Spotify have around 88 and 188 premium subscribers, respectively.
On the other hand, YouTube Music is still growing and, as its service is more widely available, might soon overtake Apple Music in paid subscriptions.
Then again, the streaming market is already highly saturated, with most people having a premium subscription if they want or can afford one. Despite that, streaming services are still unprofitable.
