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Not that my scruples matter, of course.
What does that mean, exactly?
Walk me through the history here.
When did YouTube start consciously integrating podcasts onto the platform?
About four years ago.
We should probably lean in here.
It was an organic conversation.
So that was a big factor, as well, for long-form podcasters especially.
And to help users discover them.
Tell me about those early podcasts you noticed getting traction on the platform.
Joe Rogan, before his Spotify deal, is an obvious one as a great example.
Certainly, in the political space as well.
Lets talk about the news peg here: 1 billion monthly active viewers of podcast content on the platform.
How does YouTube define monthly active viewer in this context?
Just somebody who in a given month has consumed a podcast on YouTube.
And how does YouTube define podcast content?
Like, I assume something likeHot Oneswouldnt be coded as a podcast.
The way we think about it is listenable content so, content thats video optional.
Is there a plan to support podcasts that dont conform to formats that already work well on YouTube?
The short answer is yes.
We work with many podcasters who are audio-only, and we give them a ton of support.
That content is distributed both in our main app and the YouTube Music app.
I think of it as not different from the creator ecosystem overall.
Its the same thing with podcasting.
Tell me about how you approach partnerships.
Who do you go after, what are your priorities, and what is the pitch?
We have two buckets of folks.
Thats the easier, more straightforward pitch.
The pitch there involves a few things.
The first is that they can reach younger, differentiated audiences.
The second is about discoverability, which is related to reach.
The third is monetization through our YouTube Partner Program.
The last is data and analytics.
So the short answer is yes.
The reason that trend exists is because users get a lot of value out of it.
Just on my drive today, I was listening to a podcast in the YouTube Music app.
Broadly speaking, what would you say are the biggest misconceptions of what YouTube is doing with podcasting?
Oh, thats interesting.
Certainly, the consumption we see in the music app is all audio.
Another one … Well, this is less a misconception and more something worth calling out.
What can you say about that?
We build content for our users.
We just wanna do the best thing to serve our users and creators in the best possible way.
We dont think about what other platforms are doing.
You dont think about your competitors at all?
I wouldnt saynot at all.
So I wouldnt say we ignore competition entirely.
Last question: What do you listen to?
Im a big sports fan, because I was VP of sports partnerships here for over ten years.
When I drove into work today, I was listening toNew HeightsWith Travis & Jason Kelce.
I listen toShannon Sharpes podcast.
I listen to a bunch of political news podcasts.
I listen to a bunch of business podcasts.
Its fun to find new ones.
Thats what I love about YouTube: Every week, Im getting recommended new or different content.
