Tag: video podcasts

Criadores latino americanos mostram sua criatividade com podcasts em vídeo

Muitos apresentadores de podcast estão se aproximando dos fãs de uma nova maneira: por meio do vídeo. Os podcasts em vídeo oferecem uma uma dimensão extra de interatividade e proximidade, permitindo que os ouvintes observem as reações ou prestem atenção no ambiente onde o apresentador está. Alguns criadores estão até animados em se vestir e mostrar seus melhores looks. 

A mudança para podcasts em vídeo está ocorrendo em todo o mundo e, especificamente no mercado latino americano, alguns dos podcast favoritos do público estão trazendo essa nova camada para seus programas. 

A criadora mexicana Roberta Woodworth, cujo podcast  LIBRE&LOCA traz temas íntimos e pessoais, como amor próprio e mágoas, é uma dessas criadoras que está fazendo experiências com vídeo em sua mais nova temporada. O programa Escuela de Nada, criado por três amigos venezuelanos radicados no México, também está adotando o vídeo como uma nova maneira de se conectar com os ouvintes. E há ainda o criador mexicano multifacetado Juanpa Zurita, que introduziu o vídeo na segunda temporada de seu podcast original do Spotify, No Hagas Lo Fácil.

Enquanto isso, alguns podcasts já estão usando o recurso de vídeo desde o início. O podcast brasileiro Spotify Original Carona Podpah, com Igor Cavalari (Igão) e Thiago Marques (Mitico) do Podpah, estreia no Spotify em 7 de junho e incluirá vídeos em seus episódios semanais. O programa acompanha os apresentadores enquanto eles entrevistam convidados dentro de um carro, tornando o vídeo uma parte essencial do podcast.

Conversamos com Roberta, apresentadora do Libre & Loca, Juanpa, apresentador do No Hagas Lo Fácil, Chris Andrade, fundador e co-apresentador da Escuela de Nada, e Igão e Mitico, anfitriões do Carona Podpah, para saber como o vídeo está revolucionando seus podcasts. 

O que mais o empolga na ideia de ter o recurso de vídeos em seu podcast?

Igão & Mitico:O Podpah nasceu como um podcast em vídeo e o público sempre gostou muito desse aspecto – fomos o podcast mais ouvido no Spotify no Brasil em 2022 e o 24º em todo o mundo. O vídeo é fundamental para o formato do nosso programa porque temos o entretenimento como pano de fundo de tudo o que produzimos – seja falando sobre culinária, futebol ou música. Quando uma plataforma tão relevante como o Spotify se interessa por uma parceria conosco para um podcast em vídeo, isso mostra para nós e para o mercado que o produto ainda tem muito a ser explorado.

Roberta Woodworth: Meu podcast é muito íntimo e acho que o vídeo convida o ouvinte a se aproximar, refletir e ter ainda mais empatia com esses tópicos “íntimos e universais” que abordamos no Libre & Loca.

Juanpa Zurita: Foi algo que minha comunidade me pediu em todos os episódios da última temporada. Por isso, fico muito feliz por termos conseguido isso para a segunda temporada! Ouvir é bom, mas nada se compara a ver. Acho que a conexão e a dinâmica do podcast são mais íntimas do que antes. E as pessoas estão felizes, o que me deixa muito feliz!

Chris Andrade: A Escuela de Nada, por ser um podcast de comédia improvisada, usa o poder da interação em seus vídeos com os fãs. Poder reagir às piadas e ver a resposta dos seguidores foi uma mudança que nos empolgou muito.

Como o vídeo influenciou a maneira como vocês conduzem cada episódio?

Igão & Mitico: O vídeo nos dá liberdade para criar mais e mais. Existem alguns desafios, como por exemplo, o Carona Podpah envolve filmar em um espaço apertado, pois levamos nossos convidados para dentro do carro enquanto conversamos sobre as músicas que marcaram suas vidas – mas isso não nos impede de tentar coisas novas.

Roberta: Sou muito expressiva, e estar diante das câmeras me faz lembrar que o mundo inteiro verá meu rosto. Isso, por si só, torna tudo mais humano, orgânico e real. Não sou mais apenas uma voz que o acompanha. Sou uma pessoa.

Juanpa: Houve uma mudança drástica em nosso cenário para dar a ele o visual e a sensação de NHLF que queríamos. Também tivemos que reinventar as introduções dos episódios e estou muito orgulhoso do resultado.

Chris: O vídeo nos levou a ter um novo tipo de continuidade e proximidade com nossos fãs. Como podemos nos ver e ouvir como apresentadores, estamos percebendo que o interesse dos fãs é muito maior.

Como o vídeo está ajudando você a se conectar com seus fãs?

Igão & Mitico: A principal característica de um podcast em vídeo é que o público pode testemunhar as reações. O que gostamos em ter o recurso de vídeo é que nosso público poderá acompanhar o podcast como se estivesse conosco no carro, vendo tudo o que está acontecendo. O vídeo torna o programa mais dinâmico e nos permite estabelecer uma conexão maior, não apenas com nossos convidados, mas com quem está do outro lado da tela.

Roberta: Isso nos aproxima muito mais porque as pessoas não apenas ouvem o que penso e sinto, mas também o veem. E eu falo muito sobre emoções, então é muito interessante como essa conexão se torna mais profunda.

Juanpa: Há algo muito especial na linguagem corporal que você não pode sentir se não puder ver. Também quero agradecer aos nossos fãs por todo o carinho durante a primeira temporada e pela insistência de todos em usarmos o vídeo. Sem eles, não teríamos conseguido.

Chris: O vídeo nos ajudou a expandir e disseminar ainda mais nosso conteúdo em uma plataforma de mídia social em que o vídeo é dominante. Cada pessoa tem sua própria maneira de consumir conteúdo e, sem dúvida, o vídeo agrega muito para nós e traz muito valor para as novas gerações.

Creadores Latinoamericanos Muestran Su Creatividad con Video Podcasts

Muchos presentadores de podcasts están acercándose de una nueva manera con los fans, a través del video. Los video podcasts introducen una dimensión adicional de interactividad y cercanía, permitiendo a los usuarios ver reacciones faciales o notar el ambiente del presentador. Algunos creadores incluso están entusiasmados por vestirse y mostrar sus mejores looks de moda.

El cambio hacia los video podcasts está ocurriendo en todo el mundo y en el mercado latinoamericano específicamente, algunos favoritos de los fans están incorporando esta nueva capa en sus programas.

Roberta Woodworth, creadora mexicana cuyo podcast LIBRE&LOCA reflexiona sobre temas íntimos y personales como el amor propio y el desamor, es una de esas creadoras que está experimentando actualmente con el video en su nueva temporada. El programa Escuela de Nada, creado por tres amigos venezolanos en México, también está adoptando el video como una nueva forma de conectarse con los oyentes. Y claro, está el versátil creador mexicano Juanpa Zurita, quien presentó en video la segunda temporada de su podcast original de Spotify, No Hagas Lo Fácil.

Mientras tanto, algunos nuevos podcasts están incorporando el video desde el principio. El podcast original brasileño Carona Podpah de Spotify, protagonizado por Igor Cavalari (conocido informalmente como Igão) y Thiago Marques (conocido como Mítico) del popular podcast Podpah, se estrenará en Spotify el 7 de junio e incluirá video en cada uno de sus episodios semanales. El programa sigue a los anfitriones mientras entrevistan a invitados dentro de un automóvil, convirtiendo el video en una parte esencial del podcast.

Nos encontramos con Roberta, presentadora de Libre & Loca, Juanpa, presentador de No Hagas Lo Fácil, Chris Andrade, fundador y coanfitrión de Escuela de Nada, e Igor y Thiago, anfitriones de Carona Podpah, para conocer cómo el video está cambiando su forma de hacer podcasts.

¿Qué es lo que más te entusiasma de incorporar el video a tu podcast?

Igor Cavalari y Thiago Marques: Podpah comenzó como un  video podcast y al público siempre le gustó mucho ese aspecto; fuimos el podcast más escuchado en Spotify en Brasil en 2022 y el 24º a nivel mundial. El video es fundamental para nuestro formato de programa porque tenemos el entretenimiento como trasfondo de todo lo que producimos, ya sea que hablemos de cocina, fútbol o música. Cuando una plataforma tan relevante como Spotify está interesada en asociarse con nosotros para un podcast en video, nos muestra a nosotros y al mercado que el producto aún tiene mucho por explorar.

Roberta Woodworth: Mi podcast es muy íntimo y creo que el video invita al escucha a acercarse, reflejarse y empatizar todavía más con estos temas “íntimos universales” que tocamos en Libre&Loca.

Juanpa Zurita: Era algo que mi comunidad me pedía en todos los episodios de la temporada pasada. Así que me pone muy contento que lo logramos para la segunda! Escuchar es lindo pero nada se compara con ver. Creo que la conexión y la dinámica del podcast es más íntima que antes. Y la gente está feliz, lo cual me hace muy feliz!

Chris Andrade: Escuela de Nada al ser un podcast de comedia improvisada se nutre del poder de interacción en sus video con sus fans, poder reaccionar a chistes y ver la respuesta de los seguidores ha sido un cambio que nos ha emocionado mucho.

¿Cómo ha influenciado el video la forma en que abordas cada episodio?

Igor y Thiago: El video nos da libertad para crear más y más. Hay desafíos: Carona Podpah implica filmar en un espacio reducido mientras llevamos a nuestros invitados dentro del automóvil y conocemos más sobre las canciones que han marcado sus vidas, pero eso no nos impide probar cosas nuevas.

Roberta: Tengo que tener súper presente que soy muy expresiva y ahora todo el mundo va a ver mis caras. Pero eso lo hace todo más humano, orgánico y real. Ya no solo soy una voz que te acompaña, soy una persona.

Juanpa: Hubo un cambio drástico en nuestro set para darle el look and feel que queríamos de NHLF. Además tuvimos que reinventar las intros de los episodios y la verdad estoy muy orgulloso del resultado.

Chris: Complementando la respuesta anterior, el video nos ha llevado a tener una fluidez y cercanía con todos nuestros fans. Es una realidad que al poder ver y escuchar a tus hosts el engage es muchísimo más alto.

¿Cómo te ayuda el video a conectarte con tus fans?

Igor y Thiago: La principal característica de un podcast en video es que la audiencia puede experimentar reacciones. Lo que nos gusta de tener la función de video es que nuestra audiencia podrá seguir el podcast como si estuvieran con nosotros en el automóvil viendo todo lo que sucede. El video hace que el programa sea más dinámico y nos permite establecer una conexión mayor, no solo con nuestros invitados, sino también con aquellos al otro lado de la pantalla.

Roberta: Nos acerca mucho más porque la gente no solo escucha lo que pienso y siento, sino que también lo ve. Y hablo mucho de emociones, así que es muy interesante cómo esa conexión se vuelve más profunda.

Juanpa: Sin duda el video ha permitido conectar más con todos! Hay algo muy especial en el lenguaje corporal que no puedes sentir si no lo ves. También quiero agradecer por todo el amor a la temporada 1 y la insistencia de todos por tener video porque sin ustedes no lo hubiéramos logrado. Esto es por y para ellos!

Chris: El video nos ha ayudado a expandir y difundir aún más nuestro contenido en una plataforma de redes sociales donde el video es dominante. Cada persona tiene su forma de consumir contenido y, sin duda, el video nos aporta mucho y agrega mucho valor a las nuevas generaciones.

Spotify Expands Video Podcast Lineup With ‘Forbidden Fruits’ and ‘The Comment Section’

Today at Spotify Stream On, artists, songwriters, video and content creators, podcasters, and streamers from all over the world joined Spotify to hear about our latest announcements and inspiring stories across our global platform. And for the podcasters in attendance, we touched on one of the most exciting trends in the space: video. 

Video is one of the fastest-growing areas of podcasting, with more than 70,000 video creators on the platform. We expect that growth to continue. With innovative partnerships on the way from Collab, Creative Juice, Get Engaged Media, Golden Child, and Karat to bring their creators’ videos to Spotify, as well as limited video series exclusively available on Spotify from Mindset Mentor, we’re looking forward to introducing millions of new listeners to video podcasts. 

Forbidden Fruits with Julia Fox and Niki Takesh returns—on video

We’re also excited to reveal that Forbidden Fruits with Julia Fox and Niki Takesh will not only return for a Season 2 on March 17, but the new episodes will be released as an all-video podcast. 

“Video is a whole added layer because now we actually have to get dressed,” Niki quipped to For the Record. “But we’re excited for the lewks!”

Fans can expect more of the same no-holds-barred cultural commentary from Julia and Niki—two opinionated and transgressive folx who cite acting, writing, designing, and styling in their resumes—but with a vivacious new look that matches the hosts in this moment. Equipped with a keen understanding of the current intersection of pop culture, sex, and stigma, this duo will continue to explore taboo content and interview culturally relevant guests with empathy and understanding to gain deeper insight. 

“We have some amazing guests lined up for our listeners. It’ll never be a dull moment over here,” Julia said.

Drew Afualo’s The Comment Section is moving exclusively to Spotify

Known as the internet’s defender of women, Drew Afualo attracted a loyal following across social media, and has built on that with her weekly video podcast, The Comment Section, where she and her guests explore the most dreaded section of their tagged videos on TikTok.

“I am so excited to move to Spotify for so many reasons, but one of the main ones is that it’s by far my favorite streaming platform,” Drew told For the Record. “I have used Spotify for so many years, and to have them partnering with me is such an honor. I truly feel like Spotify sees my vision and understands where I want to go with The Comment Section. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes us next!”

Starting April 5, Drew’s show will become a Spotify exclusive. But fans can still expect the same candid discussion and lots of laughs as Drew keeps it real and gives in-depth advice on the issues listeners care about most.

Can’t wait for Season 2 of Forbidden Fruits to premiere? Catch up with all of Season 1’s hot-button topics below.

2022 Saw Even More Advancements, Acquisitions, and Excitement at Spotify

Earlier this month, we all had a chance to revisit what we listened to most in 2022 with Wrapped. From the year’s top artist (congrats on the three-peat, Bad Bunny) to identifying our listening personalities (where the “Deep Divers” at?), fans worldwide shared their listening habits. But that’s only the icing on the cake. The year also saw new content offerings such as audiobooks and more programs to support diverse and underrepresented voices, all designed to bring the best experience to listeners and creators.

Ring in 2023 by reliving Spotify’s highlights from 2022.

Commitment to platform safety

At the start of the year, we shared several actions we’re taking to balance creator expression with safety, including publishing our Platform Rules and taking steps to ensure creators and users alike understand what’s permitted on Spotify. This summer, we unveiled the Spotify Safety Advisory Council, an interdisciplinary group of experts that are providing our teams with an outside-in view of the safety landscape and helping us ensure that our products and policies address the needs and concerns of our users, creators, and artists around the world.  

Acquisitions expand our offerings

Early in the year, we acquired two podcast technology companies: Podsights, a podcast advertising measurement service, and Chartable, a podcast analytics platform. This move helped us uplevel measurement for podcast advertising and give publishers a new way to grow their business through insights and promotions tools.  

Over the summer, we closed on the acquisition of Findaway, a global leader in digital audiobook distribution. Findaway works across the audiobook ecosystem with a platform and offerings that serve authors, publishers, and consumers. Their technology and know-how helped accelerate Spotify’s entry into audiobooks earlier this fall.

As the world’s leading audio streaming platform, it made perfect sense to bring Heardle, the beloved interactive music game to Spotify. It has provided a fun and innovative way to help fans discover new songs and artists.

We also acquired Kinzen, a global leader in protecting online communities from harmful content. Our partnership with the Dublin-based company, which began in 2020, has been critical to enhancing our approach to platform safety. The company’s technology and unique approach helps Spotify better understand, prepare for, and prevent abuse trends from emerging on our platform.

Frequency carves out a spot for Black creators

We expanded Frequency, our global initiative and holistic destination for celebrating Black art, entertainment, creativity, culture, and community both on- and off-platform, with even more opportunities for Black creators. In addition to on-platform hubs and playlists, we hosted The Free Studio, a four-day residency that brought together nine Black musicians and creators. Spotify’s popular playlist Ripple Effect continued the Frequency Sunday Dinner series in Houston, as well as cities across California

Helping diversify the voices of podcasting

Programs like Sound Up, the Creator Equity Fund, and RADAR for Podcasters help underrepresented voices and emerging talent in the audio space. From education and workshops to on-platform amplification, these initiatives give creators the tools they need to tell their story. In October, we introduced the Africa Podcast Fund, a first-of-its-kind initiative to support burgeoning podcasters through financial grants, workshops, and networking opportunities. In December, we launched Elevate for Podcasters in partnership with the Inevitable Foundation. The program empowers professional podcasters with disabilities, providing the funding, mentorship, equipment, and accommodations they need to level up their careers. 

Introducing User Choice Billing with Google

Our multi-year agreement with Google represents a first-of-its-kind option in payment choice with opportunities for both consumers and developers. Users who’ve downloaded Spotify from the Google Play Store are presented with the choice to pay with either Spotify’s payment system or Google Play Billing. These two options living side-by-side in the app give users the freedom to subscribe and make purchases, using the payment option of their choice. With this announcement and our partnership, Google is allowing more choice and competition—decisive steps that demonstrate how platforms should work.  

Blend it up

Blend combines the best of Spotify’s personalization capabilities and collaborative playlist functionality into a single shared playlist. In 2022, we took Blend to a whole new level. Users can now Blend with up to 10 people or they can Blend with artists like Lizzo, Post Malone, and Charli XCX. Fans also have the opportunity to shop artist merch from the Blend experience. Blend represents another way we can give artists a new oportunity to interact with fans, and to bring added personalization to a listener’s music experience.

Playing with video

In 2022 we expanded video podcasting to Anchor creators in over 180 global markets. Podcasters love having the option to accompany their audio with visual components, and fans get the opportunity to deeply connect with the content. We also introduced Spotify Podcast Subscriptions for video podcasts, an integration with Riverside (the go-to platform for remote recording), embeddable video, video bulk-replace, video-specific analytics, and interactive podcast features, such as polls and Q&A.

Celebrating EQUAL’s first anniversary 

Since its launch, EQUAL has spotlighted women artists through global partnerships, activations, new content experiences, and on- and off-platform support. April marked the program’s one year anniversary. Among EQUAL’s major accomplishments: listeners streamed more than 13 million hours of program artists in the first month of joining. 

Reimagining with Roblox

We entered the virtual universe Roblox to create Spotify Island, an audio paradise where fans and artists from all over the world can connect and explore exclusive sounds, quests, and merch. We enhanced the experience during the year with K-Park and Planet Hip-Hop.

Spotify and FC Barcelona team up on the field

In July, we kicked off a partnership with FC Barcelona, becoming the Main Partner of the Club as well as the Official Audio Streaming Partner. We joined the team in Miami during the club’s preseason tour and brought artists like Ovy on the Drums, Piso 21, and Mau y Ricky along for the fun. Through the in-stadium LEDs and our other marketing channels, we promoted artists of all sizes from around the world including BLACKPINK, Fireboy DML, Megan Thee Stallion, Aitch, Pomme, Feid, and Rigoberta Bandini. For FC Barcelona’s October El Clásico showdown—one of the most iconic events in all of sport—we celebrated Drake’s 50 billion streams by creating a limited-edition kit. Get more details on this multiyear partnership on our Spotify: For the Record podcast.

Upping the ante with audiobooks

This fall, we introduced audiobooks to listeners in the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. With more than 300,000 titles on the platform, we are giving book lovers a new way to enjoy storytelling on Spotify.

Time to play fair

We believe everyone benefits when competition is fair. Unfortunately, Apple does not, and they’ve consistently abused their dominant position to favor their own services, stifle innovation and hurt consumers. This year, we continued to urge policymakers to take significant action to protect competition and consumers from Apple’s anticompetitive behavior. For more on this fight, listen to  Spotify: For the Record, where entrepreneurs, U.S. senators, and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek discuss the importance of consumer choice.

Podcaster Wrapped Celebrates Podcast Creators and Their Fans in 2022

Earlier this week we revealed 2022 Wrapped, our annual campaign that brings creators and fans together around a shared love of all things audio. And to accompany it, we launched Podcaster Wrapped for creators. 

Podcaster Wrapped is our way to recognize achievements across our podcast creator ecosystem and offer a unique peek into user behavior and listening trends from the past year. And what a year it was! We were blown away by the amount of podcast content created: It would take you over 1,500 years to listen to every minute of the 25 million+ podcast episodes published in 2022. 

As we look back at all the meaningful moments that made up 2022—the milestones, big wins, and one-of-a-kind connection that brings creators and fans together—it’s clear there’s a lot to celebrate. 

More for listeners and creators to love

This year, we saw a more than 50% increase in podcast consumption. Over half of the billions of hours of content played in 2022 was newly published since January.

Meanwhile, we continued to build innovative tools that enable podcasters to create, grow, and monetize their content in new ways. We brought video podcasts to creators in over 180 markets so that listeners can enjoy a visual complement to content and creators have a new way to reach and connect with their fans. We also made it easier for creators to sound better with a new audio enhancement feature, and we expanded our interactivity capabilities by making Q&A and Polls available to creators around the world.

Getting to know you

We launched our first-ever Fan Study for podcasters, giving creators insights into fan behavior so they can make more informed decisions about how to grow their show. Through Fan Study, we learned things like fans who follow your podcast will listen to four times the number of episodes, and Gen Z’s podcast discovery is growing at twice the rate of other generations.  

We elevated dozens of emerging podcasters from around the world with programs like RADAR Podcasters and Sound Up, which both aim to spotlight up-and-coming creators and provide them with support to grow their audiences.

Near and far

And we continued to see that podcasts are truly global. Podcaster Wrapped showed us that the majority of podcasts published are listened to in more than one country, and we’re seeing impressive creation growth in Central and South America, specifically Colombia, Argentina, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. These countries saw a more than 50% increase in new shows created between 2021 and 2022. The top markets in terms of shows published are the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, and India. 

We love seeing creators grow and hit their strides, and we’ll continue to build programs and tools to help podcasters of all kinds find success in 2023 and beyond.

Video Podcasting is Now Available for Creators in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, and Mexico

A video podcaster, off screen, holds a microphone and speaks in front of a camera

*Update as of Tuesday, November 15, 2022: Video podcast publishing capabilities are now available to Anchor creators in over 180 global markets. Learn more here.

Listen to this story read aloud in 2 minutes and 20 seconds. 


Podcasting of all kinds continues to explode, and fans simply can’t get enough of their favorite shows and creators. Just as listeners seek increased opportunities to connect with their favorite content and creators, podcasters want to do the same to connect more deeply with their fans. Video podcasts are a perfect opportunity to forge these connections, and our continued investment in the format will result in a better experience for both creators and fans.

Today, we’re expanding our video podcasting capabilities to creators in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, and Mexico. These are markets with especially strong podcast creator communities that have shown a healthy appetite for new ways to create and experience podcasts. Video-native podcasters will now have access to Spotify’s audience around the world, while audio-native podcasters will be able to start experimenting with video and deliver content that their listeners can engage with more deeply.

Just as we’ve built a suite of innovative creation tools for podcasters, and we’re now doing the same for video content. Video podcasts are a historically underutilized medium, but one has the potential to grow by unlocking a new way to help audiences engage with their favorite podcasts. Video podcasts allow listeners to feel more connected to the creators behind their favorite shows, whether they’re listening on audio-only or watching the video, or even toggling between the two. 

Our approach to video podcasts is centered on putting creators and their needs first. As we learn from users and iterate, we’re pioneering new formats of audio, interactivity, unique listening experiences, and tools creators can use for an evolved creator experience with greater control over their content. This expansion will further innovation on our platform for creators and listeners around the world. 

Read more about how to start your own video podcast on the Anchor blog.

All Creators in Select Markets Can Now Publish Video Podcasts on Spotify

Podcasters Ricky and Denzel in green box

*Update as of Tuesday, November 15, 2022: Video podcast publishing capabilities are now available to Anchor creators in over 180 global markets. Learn more here.

Last fall, Spotify began activating Video Podcasts for creators on a limited basis. Since then, we’ve found that podcasters love having the option to accompany their audio with visual components, and fans love having the opportunity to more deeply connect with the content. So as the audience for this format grows, we’re also opening up the Video Podcast capability to more creators, creating a growing catalog of video podcasts. Starting today, we’re expanding Video Podcasts on Spotify to all creators in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the U.K. Creators will have the ability to upload their video content to Spotify through Anchor as easily as they already publish audio. 

Visual interactions allow fans to get to know their favorite podcast hosts even better, and allow creators to connect with their audiences in a much deeper way. But if you want to stick to the pure audio experience, that’s great too—video on Spotify is backgroundable for all listeners, so you can immerse yourself in the content when you want to, or simply lean back and just listen.

Two displays of "We Said What We Said" podcast, one is a Video Podcast

But wait—there are new features too. 

As exciting as Video Podcasts are, we know this is new territory for many podcasters. And since Video Podcasting is more than simply uploading a video, alongside our expansion to more podcasters, we’re also enabling new features to help set creators up for success. 

Here’s what’s new: 

  • Access for everyone: Starting now, creators in these five markets can find Video Podcast uploading capabilities on Anchor’s web platform. We plan to roll this out to additional markets in the future. 
  • Podcast Subscriptions: Spotify Podcast Subscriptions will be available for video podcasts, empowering creators to own their monetization models by creating exclusive content, gating video, and more. Stay tuned—we’re working on more monetization features to come soon.
  • Integration with Riverside: Today we’re also kicking off a partnership with Riverside, the go-to platform for remote recording. The integration enables creators to record and publish video content for free with Riverside with a quick distribution path to Spotify via Anchor.
  • Embeddable video: Now, when you embed a Video Podcast episode from Spotify, the video will play directly in the embed player wherever you placed it. It’s a great tool—whether you’re excited to share great content with friends or grow your audience.
  • Video Bulk-Replace: Bulk-replace allows Anchor creators to easily replace their existing audio episodes with video versions from an easy-to-use interface. Get ready for more time creating content and less time editing it.
  • Video Analytics: Video-specific analytics will give creators deep insights into their videos’ performance on Spotify, enabling them to better understand their audiences and publish content suited to them.
  • Interactive capabilities: Our interactive podcast features, like Polls and Q&A, will be available for Video Podcasts so creators can connect with and get feedback directly from their listeners.

With this latest expansion, we’re continuing to make Video Podcasting a great experience for creators—empowering them to reach new global audiences, own how they monetize their content, and interact with fans in new ways. There’s a massive opportunity for Video Podcasts on Spotify, and we can’t wait to see what creators bring to the table.

Want to make a Video Podcast of your own? Check out our guide on Anchor’s blog for the full details for creators.

Spotify Reports Fourth Quarter 2021 Earnings

Today, Spotify announced our fourth quarter 2021 financial performance. Click here to review the full earnings release, and take a look at the highlights below:

Interested in hearing more? You can listen to the webcast Q&A on the IR site here. 

Click below to check out a sizzle reel of audio trailers from a few of our recent original and exclusive podcasts. 

2021 Wrapped for Podcasters Shows That More People Are Becoming Audio Creators

2020 was an explosive year for new podcast creation—but 2021 proved to be the year podcasting really hit its stride. New creation hasn’t slowed down one bit, and more than ever, podcasters are getting more creative with their content development and business models. With 1.2 million new podcasts published on Spotify this past year, it’s clear that an increasing number of people are listening to and creating audio. 

This year, we delivered Wrapped for Podcasters to more creators than ever, demonstrating that the creator economy is growing—and rapidly. 

We believe that a huge driver of this growth is accessibility to innovative creation tools. Of the aforementioned 1.2 million new podcasts published on Spotify in 2021, more than 1 million of them were created using Anchor, our all-in-one podcasting platform. Anchor now powers around 75% of all podcasts on Spotify—the vast majority of which are from independent creators—so its user behavior offers a great peek into what’s happening in the world of those up-and-coming podcasters.

Anchor offers more to creators than your basic record-and-upload. In 2021, we began offering a variety of features in Anchor that enable podcasters to create, grow, and monetize their content in ways that had never been possible before. This includes:

We believe innovating on the creation experience has a profound impact on the growth of the overall podcasting creator economy. And when we took a look into the data from 2021, the numbers proved that to be the case.

  • Anchor continues to drive 80% of the new podcasts being published to Spotify every year.
  • These independent shows collectively are driving incredible engagement: In recent months, more than 40% of monthly podcast listeners on Spotify have listened to at least one show created using Anchor.
  • More than 13,000 Anchor-powered shows charted in 2021, making up 35% of the shows on Spotify’s charts this year. 
  • As a result of rolling out these new formats that can’t be experienced anywhere else, the consumption of Anchor-powered shows globally leans toward Spotify, with around 65% of their consumption happening on Spotify.
  • The market for independent podcasters is truly global: The top markets, in terms of total new shows created on Anchor in 2021, were the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, and India.
  • Central and South America in particular are on the come-up for a thriving creator economy in podcasts: Anchor’s fastest-growing markets in 2021, measured by average monthly increase in new shows, were Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, and Chile.

We’re excited to see continued progress in the podcast space as creators grow and hit their strides. Stay tuned for more to come in 2022!

Spotify Fans Can Better Connect to Creators With New Video Podcasts

Many podcast fans love watching their favorite podcasts as much as they enjoy listening to them. Through these visuals, fans can get to know their favorite podcast hosts even better, and creators can more deeply connect with their audiences. That’s why today, Spotify is unveiling the first version of our new video podcast feature with select podcasts. Now listeners in all markets where podcasts are supported will be able to listen to or watch those podcasts as the feature rolls out.

Video podcasts build upon and enhance our existing audio experience, allowing Free and Premium users to connect more deeply with their favorite podcasts with video content. Listeners can tune into podcasts like Book of Basketball 2.0, Fantasy Footballers, The Misfits Podcast, H3 Podcast, The Morning Toast, Higher Learning with Van Lathan & Rachel Lindsay, and The Rooster Teeth Podcast for a visual and audio feast.  

To start watching, just press play on your desktop or mobile app. The creator-made videos will start automatically and sync immediately with your audio feed. If you’re multitasking between apps or want to lock your device during the episode, no worries: your audio will continue to play in the background with no interruption (and minimal data usage). All listeners will still be able to download the audio to their mobile devices to listen to shows on the go.

The new feature allows select creators to bring both audio and video content to Spotify, enabling them to connect more meaningfully with their listeners, expand viewership, and deepen audience engagement. It’s a way to enrich the audio experience—for fans and creators alike. 

Fans in all markets where podcasts are supported can tune into the latest video episode of Higher Learning for their first Spotify video podcast experience.