Not really. It's just a way for them to diversify income from their podcast.
Some people would rather watch, but some still listen on the go.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Podcasts Losing Market Share to YouTube and Spotify
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Not really. It's just a way for them to diversify income from their podcast.
Some people would rather watch, but some still listen on the go.
Part if the appeal of Spotify and Youtube for this is cross-platform availability. I can continue listening on virtually any devices with an internet connection.
The Apple Podcasts web app is a step in the right direction for sure.
The Apple Podcasts web app is a step in the right direction for sure.
Not sure why all the hate for the podcasts app... It's generally been pretty useful and straightforward for me to use for years now. The only thing that annoys me is how the Up Next queue can get lost when AirPlay casting something I'm listening to, and then I have to manually go in and queue up episodes again if I want to keep listening over airplay. But since most episodes of shows these days are well over 90 minutes in length if not 3 hours or more, it doesn't come up enough to be a reason for me to switch platforms.
Targeted ad insertion is possible. It's usually because the media host like (iVoox or Mumbler) is injecting those ads dynamically after the podcaster uploads it for distribution. Apple does not inject ads themselves because they do not host the audio streams.
Last edited:
It shows up under the library tab if you subscribed, and you can also save specific episodes if you don't want to subscribe to the show.
You can change the episode listing from oldest to newest.
Video podcast supported has been around since at least around 2004/2005. A couple of YouTubers I like also upload to their podcast feed which is convenient for downloads.
It does that already, at least in the newest version of Podcast. It actually does it word by word, which is quite neat.
Last edited:
YouTube Music has existed for years now. That's where podcasts live and where YouTube is making the podcast push.
They absolutely did and still does, since the early days of podcasting in the mid-2000s. It's just that many youtubers don't bother since they have to take care of hosting themselves and manage the RSS feed, while getting no ad revenue unless they have a sponsor. Many university lecture series (formerly content on iTunes U) are in video format and also some youtubers like CGP Grey.
- Transcripts : You're right, I see that in my iOS 18, but I don't see that in my macOS Sequoia. On macOS, we cannot click to move to this segment. Feature parity between iOS and macOS is not there, which is concerning for those who basically invented Podcasts nearly 20 years ago.
- Video Podcast : There's a problem with Apple's platform because I've never seen a single video podcast on the platform, even the MacRumors' Article mentions it's not supported. And a few of the ones I listen to are actually videos on YouTube. Or maybe because they want to push us on YouTube because monetization is better ? AFAIK monetization is not built right into Podcasts, they have to basically put ads directly in the Audio file of the Podcast, and then give the play count to the advertisers from time to time.
Because the podcaster has to choose to provide a video version of their content, and I think this may involve hosting what is essentially an entirely separate show on Apple's platform. I watch Real Time with Bill Maher all the time in the Podcasts app and am able to do it on all of my devices. But that's because his show has a video alternative available with "Video" in the title to distinguish it from the audio-only version.
So it sounds like Apple just needs to make it easier on the content providers to integrate video into their currently available shows as a way to incentivize them to make it available as an option to their subscribers.
I think it's mostly due to the era around the iOS 8/9 days when Apple did a terrible job at redesigning the app and introduced a ton of bugs and UI issues. I stuck around long enough to see the bugs fixed and I quite like the more recent redesign, but a lot of people left back then and just kept that negative impression ever since.
Ah that would make sense. Same thing with the maps app as well. I'm sure Apple lost a lot of users to Google Maps who just never returned because on the whole Google has continued to offer a superior experience for them with more features. I use it sometimes and I like it. There's definitely no arguing it does some things better than Apple's version. But what can I say I'm a sucker for that sweet ecosystem integration across the board haha.
Never use podcasts from Apple services because the Apple software is just too awkward to use. This goes all the way back to iTunes. Finding what I want is hard, the UI is stuck on the tiniest fonts (why Apple, why??) that are even harder to read because they are grayed out, etc.
You kind of jumped ship at a good time, Overcast released a huge update a month or so ago and has been a nightmare since. They have been fixing it since. I'm bummed as I have been using Overcast since 2015 when I decided Podcast got too bloated and unuser friendly. Maybe time to go back...
After that last big update, I don't blame you...
New technologies can blur the lines between old mediums that were based on old limitations. A video channel that usually works fine if you can't see the visuals and just listen to the soundtrack can be called a "Podcast". There are lots of channels like that. They are often called Vtubers.
If Apple Podcasts is one of the Apple apps that are able to be deleted, then it is definitely an app I have always deleted on day 1.
If it isn’t able to be deleted, then it’s one of the many apps I move into my “Apple” folder that I never open over the life of an iDevice.
If it isn’t able to be deleted, then it’s one of the many apps I move into my “Apple” folder that I never open over the life of an iDevice.
I don't like this change in direction where many podcasts are going to Youtube and leaving audio behind. I appreciate some being both, but you listen to podcasts while doing other things like going for a walk, the Gym, or working in the yard. You can't do those things watching on Youtube. Also, you know the adage of You have a face for radio. Why would I want to watch a show unless there is charts or something which makes it so you have to watch the show. I hope we don't start leaving the audio format behind.
The survey was conducted with 600 people, out of hundreds of millions and millions of podcast users around the world. Is this even an accurate sample size, and are people once again all too eager to sound the death knell for Apple by latching on to the slightest bit of negative news about Apple?
Personally, I don't mind the stock podcast app, not least because it actually bothered to have an XL widget (something even Overcast lacks). I am also a fan of standalone podcast apps that focus on doing one thing well (ie: play podcasts), which is why I won't use a catch-all app like spotify or YouTube for said purpose.
I suspect this is another saga that is way overblown.
No. A podcast is either audio or video provided by a RSS feed and has been for a long time. Just not a lot of video podcasts out there.
If the content creator uses a third-party podcast publisher and hosting system, that system may very well insert ads as part of its monetization.