The Rise of Video in Podcasts
The podcast industry is undergoing a significant transformation as video becomes an increasingly dominant format. Publishers and platforms are investing in video podcasts to attract larger audiences, improve engagement, and tap into the lucrative online video advertising market.
YouTube has become the largest platform for podcast consumption, surpassing Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Over 400 million hours of podcast content are watched monthly on YouTube’s TV app, with 34% of podcast consumers using YouTube as their primary platform.
Meanwhile, Spotify is investing heavily in video podcasts to compete. With 250+ million users streaming video podcasts and over 300,000 video podcast shows, the platform is focusing on monetization and engagement. Spotify’s video podcast campaigns have led to a 55% increase in purchase intent, and features like Streaming Ad Insertion allow better audience targeting.
Both platforms are shaping the future of video-driven podcasting, with YouTube leading in reach and discoverability, while Spotify focuses on monetization and ad performance.
Several factors are driving the shift toward video in podcasting:
Audience Preferences: Many podcast listeners prefer a visual element, especially younger audiences. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok have conditioned users to engage with short-form and long-form video content.
Better Discovery & Engagement: Video content allows for higher engagement through comments, likes, and shares. It also makes podcast discovery easier, as social media platforms prioritise video over audio in their algorithms.
Advertising Revenue Potential: Video ads have higher CPMs than audio ads, making them more attractive to advertisers. Video allows for sponsored product placements, branded integrations, and dynamic advertising.
Omnichannel Promotion: Short video clips of podcast episodes can be shared across Instagram, TikTok, and X helping drive traffic back to full episodes.
Some of the popular Irish podcasts that already have video content are: The 2 Johnnies, Nicky Byrne HQ and The Offload.
What This Means for Irish Advertisers
The shift to video is redefining podcasting. While YouTube dominates the space, Spotify and other platforms are quickly adapting. Podcasters who embrace video stand to benefit from increased visibility, engagement, and advertising revenue. However, balancing video integration while maintaining the core appeal of audio storytelling will be key to long-term success. From a media buying perspective this means that Irish advertisers shouldn’t view Podcasts as an audio only format and by expanding their targeting to both viewers and listeners, advertisers can more effectively reach their target audience.
Source:
https://www.brandtimes.com.ng/global-ad-trends-podcast-publishers-expand-into-video/
https://digiday.com/media/how-podcasters-are-measuring-videos-role-in-growing-incremental-audiences/
