YouTube could be wanting to compete towards big podcast hosts like Amazon, Apple and Spotify. Bloomberg sources say YouTube is providing podcasters “grants” to provide movies, together with filmed variations of their reveals. Individual present creators would obtain $50,000, whereas podcast networks would obtain $200,000 or $300,000.
Parent firm Google declined to remark. YouTube is already a house for some podcasts, but it surely hasn’t pursued that episodic content material as aggressively as Spotify and different (sometimes audio-focused) providers. There have been hints of modifications, although, equivalent to appointing government Kai Chuk to steer the podcasting technique. In Canada, YouTube additionally stopped requiring paid Premium accounts to play audio within the background.
A technique like this would not be stunning. Amazon and Spotify have been touchdown extra main podcast offers, whereas Apple’s Podcasts app remains to be thought of a significant residence for a lot of reveals. While YouTube’s grants would not safe any exclusives, they might give creators extra incentives to make podcasts accessible on the platform — and followers extra incentives to contemplate YouTube.