A "Video Audio Show" and How This Post got 1 Billion Viewers!

What are we even doing?

No big conclusions today, more a collection of things that bemuse me.

ONE BILLION MONTHLY ACTIVE PODCAST VIEWERS ON YOUTUBE IS A LOT

You probably saw the BIG SHINY HEADLINE on Youtube’s Blog that there were MORE than “1 billion monthly active viewers of podcast content on YouTube” as of January 2025.

According to the US Census Bureau, the projected world population on January 1, 2025 was approximately 8.09 billion people

That’s pretty impressive if you stop to think that roughly 1 in 8 people on the planet consumed a podcast on Youtube in January 2025. And to think, it was just a year ago we were reading articles about how podcasting was dead.

The U.S. population was estimated to be 341,145,670 on January 1, 2025. So WOW - imagine everyone in the United States (me, you, a baby, grandma) consuming a podcast and then imagine another 658,854,330 people worldwide consuming a podcast on Youtube. That is mighty impressive.

The blog definitely says VIEWERS not views. Look, I did a screenshot and everything. Plus I read it in all the media coverage that were very excited to share the number.

AI, which could be inaccurate ya know, tells me:

According to current projections for January 2025, Asia holds the largest share of the population with around 59% of the global population, followed by Africa at 17.6%, Europe at 9.4%, North America at 7.5%, South America at 5.5%, and Oceania at a much smaller 0.6%.

AI also tells me, and it could be incorrect ya know, that roughly 60% of Podcasts are in English.

So a few conclusions:

The consumption rate for English Language podcasts on Youtube in Asia must be huge to get us to 1,000,000,000 viewers! Alternatively, a lot of the 1,000,000,000 active viewers are watching non-English podcasts.

It is possible perhaps maybe that the ads in your Youtube podcast are mainly reaching people outside of the United States. If true, it is possible perhaps maybe that come July youor advertisers might perhaps possible maybe say “hey I’m glad that you’re getting so many views but nobody actually bought our Food Box or Mental Health Service so we’re not renewing.”

Anyway, one thing for sure, is that Youtube’s blog said that there are “more than 1 billion monthly active viewers of podcast content on YouTube” and people wrote articles about it. I did too!

Anyway, let’s talk about Video Audio, my new favorite term.

I was reading an article on Digiday (probably paywalled if you click) when I came across the below, which I have slightly altered for brevity and clarity:

“[Brooke Minters is] working with us to figure out how to build the muscle to do this regularly and repeatably,” Lassam said. “Any new [podcast] show will definitely be considered a video audio show… Video will be a feature of all our podcasts.”

I’m sorry….a WHAT? A “video audio show.” Were people posting silent films to Youtube before this innovation? So, it’s a video that also has audio? Is it a film of people talking into microphones, possibly in “zoom boxes” and maybe sitting on a couch next to fake plants?

(I am assuming “Lassam” is Nina Lassam is a Vice President and Head of Audience, Audio for the New York Times, but I didn’t notice that established in the piece I read, presumably established elsewhere and/or my eyes are bad.)

What are we even making any more? Video Audio? Look, I surrender.

EVERYTHING is a podcast. This thing you’re reading now? It’s what I call a Written Podcast, a new form of podcasting that has NEITHER audio nor video.

So look, let me say this again, I am not The Anti-Video Guy and I don’t want to be The Anti-Video Guy.

I am willing to be the Tap The Brakes Guy while everyone runs off making videos because there’s…I want you take a second and think about this again….“1 billion monthly active viewers of podcast content on YouTube”…VIEWERS not views, and you live in a country of 340 million…so everyone you meet today (times three) is consuming a podcast once a month on Youtube….I want you to ponder that……really take a second and ponder that…..

…..so I am willing to be the HEY, TIME OUT CAN WE DISCUSS THIS FOR A SECOND Guy.

I am confident that the New York Times, Wondery, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Vox Media, Pushkin, the Ringer, New Heights, Joe Rogan, Call Her Daddy, SiriusXM and the other BIG PODCASTING companies will be able to do video and do it well.

You and your buddy doing the Severance ReWatch Podcast… maybe not? Plus, 2/3 of your audience might be outside to the USA, since we only have 340 million people, and we have to get to 1,000,000,000 somehow, and how many of them are even watching Severance?

Perhaps bringing sanity to this whole Video Audio Vodcasting Discussion is Tim Katz, “a vice-president who oversees partnerships across different sectors — news, civics, health, education, kids’ content — including, now, podcasts.” - I am quoting Nick Quah from Vulture there.

Mr Katz, a VP who oversees partnerships across different sectors such as news, civics, health, education, kids’ content and now, podcasts….and is also on the byline of the aforementioned Youtube Blog Post said…

Yeah, there’s sort of a blurry line between  what could be a podcast and what is just a show on YouTube, I suppose.  The way we think about it is “listenable content” — so, content that’s video optional.

As much fun as it is to play Mr. Katz’ title(s), and possibly math, I think he’s on to something. Seriously. Video Optional is not the worst way to describe Whatever It Is That We’re All Making Now, called Podcasts by some.

Nick’s interview with Tim Katz, a VP who oversees partnerships across different sectors such as news, civics, health, education, kids’ content and now, podcasts, is definitely worth a read.

James Cridland had his best fastball the other day. James has mastered the art of saying it without saying it which shows up on the audio version of Podnews from time to time.. Click on the above for a Video Audio Show Minus Video (formerly known as a Podcast) to HEAR James say the words below.

“YouTube's blog post was authored by Tim Katz. Who's he?

Well, he describes himself as VP Partnerships Podcasts. That's the first outing for this job title on LinkedIn. He's Director, Head of Sports and News Partnerships.

In news coverage in 2023, he was Director and Global Head of Responsibility. And in 2024, he was Global Director of Responsibility and Leader for the Canada and Latin America region. We don't see any use of this podcasting job title until this announcement.”

That’s it for now. I am going to take my iPhone and take my dog for a long walk while I LISTEN to some Video Audio Show (Minus Video) on Pocketcasts. I haven’t even gotten to Rob and Todd yet, never mind James and Sam, and I’m due to get mention on Curry with a “I don’t know who that is” - so there’s a decent chance I’m back soon to react to whatever those guys said this week.