YouTube Reaches 1 Billion Monthly Podcast Users, Surpassing Spotify

The platform's video-first approach and expanded monetization tools solidify its dominance in podcasting.

YouTube announced it now has over 1 billion monthly active podcast users, surpassing Spotify's 675 million total monthly users in 2024.
In 2024, users watched more than 400 million hours of podcast content per month on living room devices, highlighting the growing preference for video-first formats.
Research indicates that 31% of weekly U.S. podcast listeners prefer YouTube, compared to 27% for Spotify and 15% for Apple Podcasts.
YouTube has expanded its Partner Program to include more podcasters, offering enhanced monetization options and tools to improve podcast discovery.
The company attributes this growth to strategic investments in video podcasting and its strong recommendation algorithms, positioning itself as a leading podcast platform globally.