Totally agree. If I need to sign up or create an account, there’s a substantial chance that I will bounce.

YouTube is such low friction both for producers and consumers that it makes sense more people are using it for podcasts.

Jon_Hodl

My two Sats:  With an add blocker one can "watch" (even if one is listening) to youtube videos without creating an account.  So friction level is low compared to a service that forces login.

Also depending on the type of podcast, some times there are important visual.  Example:

The spiral chart is hard to describe verbally.

To be clear I agree It is sub optimal but maybe there is a future podcast type which is kind of a powerpoint + audio.

podcasts

Why Everyone Is Now Watching Podcasts on YouTube

StillStackinAfterAllTheseYears

My two Sats:  With an add blocker one can "watch" (even if one is listening) to youtube videos without creating an account.  So friction level is low compared to a service that forces login.

Also depending on the type of podcast, some times there are important visual.  Example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kcq5mevS6M

The spiral chart is hard to describe verbally.

To be clear I agree It is sub optimal but maybe there is a future podcast type which is kind of a powerpoint + audio.