YouTube Podcasts Content Tops 1 Billion Monthly Viewers

Is YouTube running away with podcasts? It sure looks that way, as over 12% of the world now accesses “podcast content” through the platform on a monthly basis.

This noteworthy stat comes from YouTube itself, which has been touting its podcast positioning in recent months. Earlier in February, for instance, the video-sharing giant disclosed that the smart TV had emerged as its leading consumption format among stateside users.

Though that applies to all on-platform content, video podcasts are fueling much of the shift – and spurring continued competition from the likes of Spotify as well as newer entrants. Financially well-equipped or not, however, these rivals evidently have a ways to go before dethroning YouTube.

As described by the Google subsidiary, as of January 2025, there were “more than 1 billion monthly active viewers of podcast content on YouTube.”

While the choice of words is important (“podcast content” presumably refers to Shorts clips and more, not solely full-length episodes), the figure is significant in any event.

So are the adjacent advantages of that audience size; YouTube also took the opportunity to drive home its “unique search and recommendations” capabilities on the podcast front.

Self-promotion is inherent here, but logic suggests that there is, in fact, a major commercial upside in helping podcasts find audiences and revenue.

The point certainly isn’t lost on Spotify, which last month launched its Podcast Partner Program, complete with bolstered video-podcast monetization and more.

Time will, of course, reveal the program’s precise impact on Spotify’s podcast footing – and YouTube’s lead. Closer to the present, we aren’t without indications of Spotify’s other plans for closing the gap.

First, Spotify, in seeking to more effectively compete with YouTube, has in many ways started resembling the platform. Despite its foundation in music, the former supports comments and, far from being selective about which uploads it accepts, is home to all manner of non-podcast videos.

Also worth keeping in mind is Spotify’s continued embrace of artificial intelligence. To state the obvious, neither the streaming service nor YouTube is a stranger to AI. But Spotify in particular has demonstrated a willingness to partner with third-party developers.

The newest of these tie-ups, with AI-voice developer ElevenLabs, set the stage for additional machine-narrated audiobooks to become available via Spotify. Longer term, one needn’t stretch the imagination to see how different partnerships could arrive on the video side.

Now looking to hire an AI VP, Spotify made clear in the job description that the hired professional will participate in “3rd party meetings to innovate on new and impactful partnerships that span the AI space.”