Spotify, the music streaming giant, in on its way to get into the video streaming platform. And in that regard, they are starting off with podcasts with Youtube Stars Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar, from the Zane and Heath: Unfiltered show.
The global test allows the creators to upload a recorded video footage of the show on the app. This will reportedly show up for 50% of the show’s Spotify podcast listeners. Moreover, the video will be available only for three recent episodes – 28 through 30.
There’s a catch though. You won’t be able to understand off the top as to whether the episodes have videos associated with them or not. You have to play the episode in order for the video tab to pop up at the bottom of the screen. You can tap on it to make it full screen.
There’s a chance that this feature might gain momentum and come to other podcasts in the future. But for now, it’s just an initial test. The feature will particularly be helpful for programmes from The Ringer, a network Spotify acquired not too long ago. This is because the team already uploads video content to Youtube.
Spotify is, however, about to bring something that YouTube does not. The music streaming service will let you play the audio in the background even if you lock your phone while the video is playing. Who thought we could get it all, am I right? Moreover, videos will sync with the audio feed and ads will still play, albeit with the video as a static shot.
In addition to this, the videos will be uploaded only in the languages the podcasts record in and won’t be translated for global audiences. Moreover, the feature is likely to come to both desktop and mobile apps.
Spotify really is trying to do it. And with the hiring of two YouTube stars, it seems like the platform is trying to go head-to-head with the video streaming giant. Most podcasters sometimes share a video recording of their episodes on YouTube, since they benefit from their recommendation algorithm. However, it is not yet clear whether videos posted on Spotify will come up on Google’s search results.
This is not the first time that Spotify has tried to get into the video-streaming business. The company has been trying to find a format that works for them for quite some time. And this actually might be a good idea, especially because you can lock your phones while watching/listening to a podcast.
This probably comes at a good time, especially because Spotify is already building a studio that would be able to record not only podcasts, but videos as well. They really do want to give their listeners everything.
Spotify is the market leader in online music streaming when it comes to both revenue and subscriptions. It held a 31% share of the total revenue and a 35% share of the total paid subscriptions. That isn’t a shocker for many though, consider how focused Spotify is when it comes to providing exclusive and curated content for its audiences.
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