Spotify Now Supports Video Podcasts, for Free and Premium Users

Spotify now has video podcasts. The world's largest subscription-based music streaming service has rolled out support for its users — be it on the Spotify Free or Spotify Premium tier — to watch their podcasts. The new feature is supported in every Spotify market where podcasts are available on Spotify. But at launch, only a select number of podcasts are available as video podcasts on Spotify.

That includes Spotify-owned The Ringer's NBA history Book of Basketball 2.0, American football tips Fantasy Footballers, The Misfits Podcast, comedians Ethan & Hila Klein's H3 Podcast, millennial morning show The Morning Toast, black culture Higher Learning with Van Lathan & Rachel Lindsay, and pop culture commentary The Rooster Teeth Podcast.

This comes in the wake of Spotify's $100-million deal with Joe Rogan, whose podcast — The Joe Rogan Experience — will become exclusive to Spotify later in 2020, including video that regularly makes the news. Spotify has made big podcast deals recently, with the likes of the Obamas, Kim Kardashian West, DC Comics, and Archie Comics.

It's straightforward to get started — just hit play in Spotify's mobile and desktop apps or the website in a browser. The video will start automatically and sync with your audio. The podcasts will switch to audio-only if you switch to other apps or lock your phone, helping you save data. Video podcasts can't be downloaded though; only the audio will get saved on your device.

“Through these visuals, fans can get to know their favorite podcast hosts even better, and creators can more deeply connect with their audiences,” Spotify said in its announcement and added later: “The new feature [enables] creators  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.”

July 22, 2020