YouTube is solidifying its position as a major player in the podcasting world, giving tough competition to Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The company announced on Wednesday that YouTube now has over 1 billion monthly active podcast viewers. This just goes to show how popular YouTube has become in the podcast industry, with people clearly preferring video-centric formats. Last year alone, YouTube revealed that audiences watched over 400 million hours of podcast content on their living room TVs.

Spotify, YouTube’s main rival in the podcasting arena, is taking notice and starting to embrace video content to attract more hosts and listeners. They’ve recently ramped up their investment in video-first podcasting and even started paying popular video hosts from November 2024. This strategic move could help Spotify close the gap with YouTube, who already shares out billions in advertising revenue with creators.

Moreover, YouTube is rolling out changes to mid-roll ads to improve the viewing experience and potentially boost creators’ earnings. Starting on May 12, YouTube will strategically place mid-roll ads at suitable break points in videos, like pauses and transitions, instead of interrupting videos with ads in the middle of important conversations or action sequences.