Spotify Introduces Support for Video Podcasts

[russell_314]

I have Spotify but won't listen to podcasts on it. I use Overcast. What Spotify calls podcasts aren't podcasts.

 

[Propine]

I do not get podcast either. Too much idle chitchat for my liking. At least on the ones I have tried listening to.

It's quite hard to find a decent podcast that has no water, but fortunately there are some that actually deliver a subject quite straightforwardly and structured.

 

[bernoulli]

Every time there is a spotify news, I hope that it’s apple watch offline playback

 

[Rudy69]

My advice? Don't switch platforms if your only reason is to get it to work on a device.

My other advice is maybe take a look at other wearables. What is more important to you? A smart watch or for a fitness tracker? If a fitness tracker is more important, definitely take a look at Garmin's line. They are, in my opinion, some of the best you can buy and do offer spotify offline polayback.

I got an Apple Watch for a lot of reasons. I don't run often enough that a fitness tracker is super important, every few years I get an itch and I run for most of the summer then i go back to hibernating when it starts to get cold. I had been taking my phone with me so I could track my runs with Nike run club and i'd listen to spotify as I run, so I was looking forward to ditching the phone since it's a pain to hold.

 

[swester]

I so don't get the whole podcast thing for most info-dissemination genres. It takes so much longer to absorb info from a video or audio podcast than to just read a transcript or an original piece of writing.

OK I do get the appeal of a video take for something like "how to..." -- how to fix a piece of gear or use some sewing machine attachment or get a piece of fine carpentry to hang together beautifully.

I mean everyone has probably struggled at least once with textual info that reads like "after you remove the gizmo from the thing to the left of it (and don't forget to put the screws to one side since they are not the same as the ones you took out of the other thing), you just flip up the cable and pull out that little plate from underneath it, no problem, and then you can reach the tray that holds the drive assembly." Half an hour of deciphering that and you yourself could probably then make a tragic video of how well your understanding of that piece of text has worked out.​

But for regular old basic "infotainment" applications - news, politics, and that infernal and ever burgeoning wannabe "influencer" genre, seems like a waste of time to watch someone say for 20 minutes what we just could read in a tenth of the time (if the podcaster could only write?).

Not everything comes down to receiving information in the most expedient way possible. You might be shocked to learn that some people enjoy the experience of listening to someone, especially if they have personality or a particular expertise.

It's funny when people act like podcasts are some insane, radical, experimental format that suddenly arose in the past few years and that their popularity is incomprehensible. It's simply oral storytelling, the most ancient and proven format for disseminating information and ideas.

 

[FightTheFuture]

i think Apple really missed the boat with the podcast platform. They are spending billions on tv shows and sort of missed the homegrown platform right in front of them. I'm sure someone there was fighting the fight but must have been sidelinded.

And you’d have thought Apple would want to be front and centre the platform to share creativity from those who use macs etc etc.

Instead they’re commissioning romcoms.

Apple have deliberately distanced themselves from podcasts for over a decade.

I find it odd how folks are asking for exclusive podcast rights. If your podcast is exclusive to a platform, it’s a show. Not a podcast. Spotify is using free podcasts for data analytics which will be used for marketing. Doesn’t seem like something you would want Apple to get into is it?

 

[CarlJ]

But isn't video podcast an oxymoron ?

Aka a “vlog”, aka half of YouTube.

 

[JoeShades]

i think Apple really missed the boat with the podcast platform. They are spending billions on tv shows and sort of missed the homegrown platform right in front of them. I'm sure someone there was fighting the fight but must have been sidelinded.

Yeah Apple missed the boat, I doubt Apple will ever support video podcasts........oh wait nevermind

 

[CarlJ]

It's funny when people act like podcasts are some insane, radical, experimental format that suddenly arose in the past few years and that their popularity is incomprehensible. It's simply oral storytelling, the most ancient and proven format for disseminating information and ideas.

One of the most riveting evenings of my life, was at the Getty Villa (a museum near LA, done in the style of an ancient Roman villa), listening for several hours to two storytellers telling the story of the events leading up to the Trojan War, in the style that the ancient Greeks might have used (with, obviously, English substituting for Greek, so the audience could follow along). Absolutely mesmerizing.

You can get some of the same effect from really good audiobooks.

Yep, podcasts are just a technological wrapper around and ancient tradition.

 

[Jim Redman]

Yeah that's great Spotify. How about focussing on Music and giving us real CD quality streaming rather than arsing about with video? Idiots.

 

[edgonzalez32]

I got an Apple Watch for a lot of reasons. I don't run often enough that a fitness tracker is super important, every few years I get an itch and I run for most of the summer then i go back to hibernating when it starts to get cold. I had been taking my phone with me so I could track my runs with Nike run club and i'd listen to spotify as I run, so I was looking forward to ditching the phone since it's a pain to hold.

Then definitely hold onto the apple watch because it seems like your needs are more inline with a dedicated smart watch rather than a dedicated fitness tracker.

 

[bonze]

Have there been any good video podcasts since the death of Tiki Bar TV?

 

[Art Mark]

And you’d have thought Apple would want to be front and centre the platform to share creativity from those who use macs etc etc.

Instead they’re commissioning romcoms.

Apple have deliberately distanced themselves from podcasts for over a decade.

True. At first I thought, OK, they are leaving the space to develop/evolve on it's own and not over-manage things. But as the format grew they seemed embarrassed about it. Honestly there were a few years were the average podcast was pretty, pretty bad and embarrassing. BUT the platform attracted more and more talent and new voices. And Apple - they want to make movies? An industry in decline! And industry that's a million miles behind even video games in revenue. I'd wager this is one of the biggest errors they have made in media. Instead of building and launching Podcasts as a new platform they have become just 'dumb pipes'. If they had spent a fraction of the TV and movie money on building Podcasts with original talent they would be in better shape. Slowly add video, build a base, a great 'cheap' place to try things out...they could have had a ton of talent signed with Apple creating unique work. Apple had stars in their eyes and wanted some 'Hollywood' and missed this.

 

[Juiceboy]

I don't get why people think apple podcasts aren't a good platform? My favourite shows download by themselves, Sync where i was up to across all my devices and it's all "free". What does Spotify and overcast have over apple podcasts app?

I don't need discovery, even if i did they have it built into the app. i've got enough podcast shows to always keep me entertained that if i added anymore i can't simply keep up. If i'm looking for new podcasts it's because I'm interested it from other sources (news sites, game sites, youtubers etc that i enjoy say they have a podcast so i'd find it that way).

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

This is great! I loved Podcasts, in the beginning, and then they started grating on me. I have quite a few subscribed podcasts that I no longer listen to, because no video is so boring.

Good for them!

 

[LizKat]

Do you enjoy reading transcripts whilst driving, running, walking, etc? Or in the shower? Or making food? Or eating? Or falling asleep in bed?

I do like audiobooks in the evening, that's true! I don't last long while listening at end of day though, I'm asleep before the timer runs out, invariably...

Not everything comes down to receiving information in the most expedient way possible. You might be shocked to learn that some people enjoy the experience of listening to someone, especially if they have personality or a particular expertise.

It's funny when people act like podcasts are some insane, radical, experimental format that suddenly arose in the past few years and that their popularity is incomprehensible. It's simply oral storytelling, the most ancient and proven format for disseminating information and ideas.

You're right on the money for me in some cases when I think more about it. I have enjoyed some of the New Yorker Radio Hour presentations. And I'd probably do better if I thought of more podcasts as akin to audiobooks, which I generally like to listen to in the evening when I'm doing hand sewing. For some reason though, most actual podcasts that I bump into, I end up disliking intensely. Not sure why that is. Only video podcasts I have liked so far are Apple keynotes.

 

[PickUrPoison]

True. At first I thought, OK, they are leaving the space to develop/evolve on it's own and not over-manage things. But as the format grew they seemed embarrassed about it. Honestly there were a few years were the average podcast was pretty, pretty bad and embarrassing. BUT the platform attracted more and more talent and new voices. And Apple - they want to make movies? An industry in decline! And industry that's a million miles behind even video games in revenue. I'd wager this is one of the biggest errors they have made in media. Instead of building and launching Podcasts as a new platform they have become just 'dumb pipes'. If they had spent a fraction of the TV and movie money on building Podcasts with original talent they would be in better shape. Slowly add video, build a base, a great 'cheap' place to try things out...they could have had a ton of talent signed with Apple creating unique work. Apple had stars in their eyes and wanted some 'Hollywood' and missed this.

So much weird take here but ok.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

This is nice and all for those that want it but I sure wish Spotify would work on offering offline playback of music via the Apple Watch.
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I do not get podcast either. Too much idle chitchat for my liking. At least on the ones I have tried listening to.

Pretty good for when you've gotta go for a drive that's an hour or so long. You can also speed up the playback. I quite often play podcasts (or youtube vids) at around 1.5x speed. Yeah, some are chit chatty, but some are chock full of awesome info. E.g. Rhonda Patrick or James Nestor on Joe Rogan. Joe Rogan has some awesome guests, but you've gotta pick and choose, as some just blab on chit chat, but some blow your mind.

 

[acctman]

Still waiting on that Spotify standalone / offline Apple Watch support. For a company that complains about Apple Music, and the App Store all the time... the seem to drop the ball every time Apple provides a feature that can benefit them. I think it time to switch to Apple Music

 

[Romey-Rome]

This should please the Joe Rogan fans for when he becomes a Spotify exclusive.

I don’t think he would have done it otherwise. He knew it was coming.

 

[Apple_Robert]

That should help them gain even more subs.

 

[Mr mac Beast]

Spotify today announced a new video podcast feature for select podcasts, available in all markets where podcasts are supported. With the update, Spotify Premium and free users will be able to watch podcasts that have recorded video on the platform.

Spotify said that at launch, podcasts with video include "Book of Basketball 2.0," "Fantasy Footballers," "The Misfits Podcast," "H3 Podcast," "The Morning Toast," "Higher Learning with Van Lathan & Rachel Lindsay," and "The Rooster Teeth Podcast." More podcasts will gain support as the feature rolls out.



To start watching a video podcast, users simply need to press play on the Spotify desktop or mobile app. Any supported podcast will automatically play and sync with the audio feed. Listeners will also still be able to download the podcast audio to listen on the go, and video podcast audio will still play when multitasking between apps or when locking your device.

In recent years, Spotify and Apple have been competing to build the most popular podcasting platform. According to a recent report from Bloomberg, Apple is now working on creating its own original podcasts to further entice people to use Apple Podcasts.

The new video podcasts on Spotify will begin rolling out today.

Article Link: Spotify Introduces Support for Video Podcasts

We need Impaulsive video on Spotify!?

 

[wigby]

i think Apple really missed the boat with the podcast platform. They are spending billions on tv shows and sort of missed the homegrown platform right in front of them. I'm sure someone there was fighting the fight but must have been sidelinded.

Not really. They don’t collect ad revenue from podcasts but they get to collect much more revenue from selling the hardware that customers use to watch and listen to those podcasts. Besides, if they collected ad revenue, they would just be another Google which Apple users generally don’t trust.

 

[mitchferrino]

They’re coming for YouTube’s gig, henny.

 

[wigby]

I so don't get the whole podcast thing for most info-dissemination genres. It takes so much longer to absorb info from a video or audio podcast than to just read a transcript or an original piece of writing.

OK I do get the appeal of a video take for something like "how to..." -- how to fix a piece of gear or use some sewing machine attachment or get a piece of fine carpentry to hang together beautifully.

I mean everyone has probably struggled at least once with textual info that reads like "after you remove the gizmo from the thing to the left of it (and don't forget to put the screws to one side since they are not the same as the ones you took out of the other thing), you just flip up the cable and pull out that little plate from underneath it, no problem, and then you can reach the tray that holds the drive assembly." Half an hour of deciphering that and you yourself could probably then make a tragic video of how well your understanding of that piece of text has worked out.​

But for regular old basic "infotainment" applications - news, politics, and that infernal and ever burgeoning wannabe "influencer" genre, seems like a waste of time to watch someone say for 20 minutes what we just could read in a tenth of the time (if the podcaster could only write?).

Podcasts are no different than radio or TV. You absorb the particular channels you like based upon the production values and characters delivering the information. Otherwise you would just pick any channel to follow if you only cared about information and nothing more.

And most people I know digest news and information while they are doing something else too like driving or even watching TV. Reading is fine if you like hearing your own voice saying someone else’s words but I prefer to hear others. I hear my voice enough already in my head.