Google announced that it would be discontinuing its podcasts as Google Podcasts.
The decision to suspend the Google Podcasts, comes as the company shifts its focus to Youtube Music instead.
The change only seems to affect the United States as of this moment.
Earlier this year, Google extended its podcasts to the YouTube Music platform in the US. Users were allowed to watch and listen to these podcasts without a paid membership.
Google also mentioned that it would be rolling out podcasts to YouTube Music globally before the end of this year.
It will be increasing its investment in the podcast experience on YouTube Music
“We’re living in the golden age of podcasts. We’ve seen creators and artists really embrace Podcasts on YouTube, and its incredible potential to boost audience growth across audio and video formats,” said the company in a statement.
As part of the discontinuation process, the YouTube team will be helping Google Podcasts users move over to Podcasts in YouTube Music. It also mentioned that this matches what listeners and podcasters are already doing.
It cited research group Edison in its statement which found that 23 per cent of weekly podcast users in the US say YouTube is their most frequently used service, versus just 4 per cent for Google Podcast.
Podcasts on YouTube Music in the US already include access to downloads, background play in places like the car and on smart speakers as well as the ability to switch between audio and video podcasts.
