You've probably noticed something weird happening in your streaming habits lately. Those three-hour conversations you're "listening" to? You're actually watching them. That podcast you fired up while cooking dinner? Your eyes keep drifting to the screen to catch someone's reaction. Welcome to 2026, where podcasts aren't just something you hear anymore—they're something you see.

The Numbers Tell a Clear Story

YouTube has become the number one podcast platform in the world. Not Spotify. Not Apple Podcasts. YouTube—a video platform. That shift alone tells you everything about where this medium is headed.

Spotify has watched this trend closely and responded aggressively. The platform now hosts more than 250,000 video podcast shows as of mid-2024, up from 100,000 just a year earlier. That's more than doubling in twelve months. Over 170 million users have watched a video podcast on Spotify, and globally, daily streams of video podcasts jumped 39% year-over-year.

Perhaps most telling: video consumption hours on Spotify are growing faster than audio-only consumption hours. The format that defined podcasting for two decades is being overtaken by its visual cousin.

Why Video Works Better

The data shows something counterintuitive. We assumed podcasts succeeded because they were audio-only—perfect for multitasking, for driving, for doing dishes. But it turns out people actually prefer giving podcasts their full attention when they can.

More than 70% of users consuming video podcasts watch them in the foreground. They're not background noise. They're the main event. And audiences retain video podcasts at higher rates than audio-only shows. When creators add video to existing audio podcasts, retention increases.

In the U.S., nearly two-thirds of podcast listeners say they prefer shows with video. Among millennials and Gen Z adults, that number approaches 50%. When researchers asked why, the answers were simple: people want to see facial expressions. They want visual cues to help them focus on the content.

Think about the last time you had an important phone conversation versus a video call. The video version probably felt more engaging, more real. Video podcasts tap into that same psychology.

The Top Shows Have Already Shifted

More than half of the top 20 podcasts on Spotify now include video. "The Joe Rogan Experience" and "Call Her Daddy"—two of the biggest shows in the world—are video-first productions. The number of video podcasts in the top 30 of podcast charts has doubled year-over-year since 2022.

Here's the brutal truth for audio-only creators: podcasts without video now struggle to break into top chart rankings. In the top 150 podcasts, 61% post video regularly—at least one video for every episode. The format has become table stakes for reaching the largest audiences.

Yet only 17% of all podcasters currently record video. There's a massive gap between what audiences want and what most creators are producing. That gap represents both an opportunity and a warning.

Regional Hotspots

The video podcast revolution isn't happening evenly across the globe. Brazil and the Philippines lead in creator adoption, with roughly 20% of monthly active podcast creators publishing video—nearly double from the previous year.

In Chile, video hours make up a quarter of total podcast consumption. In Brazil, video accounts for more than 15% of total podcast hours. The U.S., Brazil, and Mexico are the largest markets by creators publishing video.

These regional differences matter. They show that video podcasting isn't just an American phenomenon driven by a few celebrity shows. It's a global shift in how people want to consume long-form conversational content.

What Makes a Good Video Podcast

Video podcasts aren't just audio with cameras pointed at people talking. The best ones understand they're creating a hybrid format—something between traditional podcasts and YouTube videos.

The visual element adds what Jordan Newman, Spotify's Head of Content Partnerships, calls "an additional layer of authenticity and connection." You see someone laugh before you hear it. You catch a moment of hesitation, a knowing glance between hosts, physical comedy that wouldn't translate to audio.

Jon Youshaei, host of "Created with Jon Youshaei," puts it this way: "We're living in the super-long-form era. The pendulum is swinging from short form back to longer viewing sessions as creators start to rival traditional Hollywood shows when it comes to consumption."

That's the real insight. Video podcasts aren't competing with TikTok or Instagram Reels. They're competing with Netflix and HBO. They're three-hour experiences that demand and receive sustained attention.

The Business Case

Podcasting was a $23 billion industry in 2023, projected to reach over $100 billion by 2030. There are now 504.9 million worldwide podcast listeners and 4.3 million registered podcasts globally.

Video changes the monetization equation. Visual content commands higher advertising rates. Sponsors can be shown on screen, not just mentioned. Product placements become possible. The format opens revenue streams that audio-only shows can't access.

But there's a catch: production costs increase. Audio podcasts can be recorded on modest equipment in a spare bedroom. Quality video requires better lighting, cameras, editing software, and often dedicated production space. The barrier to entry rises.

The Discoverability Problem

Nearly 1 in 3 U.S. podcast users on Spotify engage with video content. Nearly 1 in 4 global users do the same. Those are impressive numbers, but they also highlight a challenge: most podcast listeners still aren't watching video.

Industry polls identify discoverability as the biggest challenge podcasters face. With 4.3 million podcasts competing for attention, how does a new show break through? Does adding video help or hurt?

The answer seems to be that video helps—if you can produce it well enough to compete. Poor quality video might be worse than no video at all. The format raises the stakes.

What This Means for the Future

The shift to video podcasts represents more than a format change. It signals a broader evolution in how we consume content online. The lines between podcasts, YouTube shows, and streaming television are blurring.

We're moving toward a world where "podcast" might not mean "audio content" at all. It might simply mean "long-form conversational content," regardless of format. The medium that started as a way to listen to radio shows on your iPod has become something entirely different.

For creators starting today, the calculus is clear. If you want to reach the largest possible audience, you need to think video-first. That doesn't mean abandoning audio—many people still want the option to listen without watching—but it means designing the experience around the visual component.

For audiences, the shift offers richer, more engaging content. We get to see the people we've been listening to for years. We catch nuances that audio alone couldn't convey. We trade some convenience for deeper connection.

The rise of video podcasts isn't killing podcasting. It's transforming it into something bigger, more ambitious, and potentially more powerful than what came before. Whether that's progress or loss probably depends on whether you're watching this essay or just listening to it read aloud.