Google announced today that YouTube Music is now, officially, offering podcasts.
Placed inside YouTube Music is a dedicated section for podcasts now, designed to be paired nicely with the existing podcast video experience on YouTube. When you enter the podcast section, you’ll find a curated section of titles you might like, your favorites, and the various genres available.
Below, YouTube goes over the feature and explains that the podcast listening experience differs from the music listening experience where a user needs a Premium subscription. How does it differ? Listeners can expect host-read endorsements or sponsorship messaging when listening to podcasts, which technically means the podcast experience isn’t “ad-free.” Big whoop.
All listeners can enjoy podcasts on-demand, offline, in the background, while casting and seamlessly switch between audio-video versions on YouTube Music. This podcast listening experience is different from our music listening experience where you need a Premium or Music Premium subscription to enjoy some of these features.
For now, Google is rolling this out slowly and only to US users. Both Kellen and I don’t yet have access, but keep your eyes peeled. If you need to know what this looks like right now, check out the GIF below.
