Podcasts are dead. Long live to podcasts.
"If the public face of podcasting was once thinky narrative shows vying for high-art legitimacy, these days it’s chat and interview programs that hustle their way into your life. (...) In hindsight, the narrative-podcast moment turned out to be a diversion for the medium. (...) Networks found themselves in need of more cost-efficient products. Chat-casts fit the mold perfectly. They can publish more episodes more regularly, which means more opportunities to make money; they can incrementally grow followings through sheer force of ubiquity and habit formation; and they can propel their way in front of even more audiences with big guest bookings that can result in viral moments. If the host is someone with a built-in following, you’re halfway to a solid business right there. (...) Once the domain of upstarts and narrative storytellers, podcasting is now similar to radio in how it has firmly become a star system. (...) Podcasting seems to be on the verge of yet another full-circle moment. Some podcast hosts have uploaded episodes as videos on YouTube since the beginning of podcasting, but that practice didn’t really take off until Spotify added its own video support in 2020. That’s why you’ll find anything from The Diary of a CEO to Huberman Lab on YouTube as well as your podcast app; that’s also why your Spotify app is streaming the video version of The Joe Rogan Experience while your phone is in your pocket."
@ Vulture | How chat podcasts have taken over the medium and dominated the cultural discourse (again).
Initially, podcasts were more associated with narrative programs that aspired to high art status. These programs were complex, required a lot of time and resources to produce and were focused on rich, detailed narratives.
However, the demand for more economical products has led to the rise in popularity of chat and interview programs, known as 'chat-casts'. These programs have the advantage of being easier and cheaper to produce, as well as allowing for more frequent publication, which increases the opportunities for monetization and audience growth. They benefit from the constant presence and habit-formation of listeners, as well as being able to gain more visibility with the participation of famous guests.
What was once a space for newcomers and storytellers has become a system of stars, similar to traditional radio. This is evidenced by the emergence of podcasts that manage to attract large audiences and generate viral moments.
Today, integration with video is the norm. Although some podcasts already used YouTube to distribute their video episodes, this practice gained more momentum with Spotify's entry into the podcast video market in 2020. This change reflects a convergence between podcast and video consumption, making the content more accessible and diverse for users.
Good or bad, the idea of a "web radio" ended up taking hold and becoming the norm. Today's podcast scene, which used to be more like community radio, has become a parade of millionaire stars dragging people into the same mold as radio in the 1990s. What's more, it gives us back the same problems as back then.