YouTube Is Getting Better at Podcasts—Here's What's Changing

YouTube just rolled out new features for people who pay for its Premium service. The changes focus heavily on podcasts—the long-form audio shows that have become huge on the platform. YouTube Premium members can now listen to podcasts in a special "on-the-go" mode, queue up content to listen later, watch better-quality video, and share shows with friends during video calls.

The on-the-go mode is designed for people who listen while running, commuting, or doing other activities. It simplifies the controls so you can easily pause, skip, or rewind without looking at your phone. The queuing feature lets you build a list of episodes to listen to in order—something that was missing before and that many listeners have been asking for.

YouTube's Podcast Grip

YouTube has become the number one place for podcasts in the United States. According to research from Edison Research, more than a billion people listen to podcasts on YouTube every month.

One striking trend: people are watching podcasts on their TVs more than ever. In October 2025 alone, viewers watched 700 million hours of YouTube podcasts on televisions. That's nearly double what they watched a year earlier. YouTube's CEO, Neal Mohan, shared these numbers at an investor conference in May 2025.

Cheaper Options and New Features

YouTube also made its ad-free subscription cheaper. Premium Lite costs $7.99 a month and removes ads, but it lacks some of the other benefits of the full Premium package. This tier used to be available only in a few countries but now works in the United States too.

YouTube Music added a new comments feature so you can talk about songs and shows with other listeners right in the app. The platform also upgraded its annual recap—a year-end summary of what you watched and listened to most. It now gives you more details if you're a heavy music listener.

Why YouTube Is Pushing Podcasts

The broader context here is that YouTube has done this before. When live streaming became popular, YouTube built features to compete with Twitch. When people started cutting cable, YouTube created YouTube TV. Now podcasts are the growth area, so YouTube is removing the small annoying gaps that keep people using other apps instead. By making podcast listening smoother and more social, YouTube reduces reasons to switch to dedicated podcast apps like Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

For podcast creators, YouTube's billion-monthly-listener audience is hard to turn down. Other podcast platforms simply cannot match that reach. YouTube also lets creators make money from video versions of their shows, which most other platforms don't offer.

What This Means Long-Term

YouTube started as a video platform, but it is steadily becoming something broader—a place for all kinds of media, including audio. These podcast updates are part of a larger shift. YouTube is trying to be the one app where you can watch videos, listen to music, hear podcasts, and share it all with friends.

For the average listener, it probably means YouTube will get easier to use and harder to leave. For people creating content, it opens new ways to reach and earn from an audience. For companies that compete with YouTube—whether in music, podcasts, or video—the challenge keeps growing.