Rethinking entertainment: podcasts as the new star of prime time at home

The battle for domestic viewing time has a new battleground. While Netflix has historically dominated the TV series and movies sector, streaming platforms are now repositioning podcasts as a primary content focus. YouTube revealed impressive data this week: by 2025, viewers will have accumulated over 700 million hours of podcast viewing on living room devices, nearly double the 400 million hours in 2024.

These numbers have not gone unnoticed by Netflix. The platform announced a series of strategic deals with iHeartMedia and Barstool Sports to acquire exclusive video rights to some podcast programs. They add to a previous agreement with Spotify, and there are rumors of negotiations with SiriusXM. For industry insiders, the target is clear: YouTube has solidified its position as the main hub for video podcast consumption.

The challenge of turning podcasts into visual content

When independent creators Mike Schubert and Sequoia Simone launched “Professional Talkers” this year, they deliberately chose to invest from the start in a video-first production on YouTube and Spotify. However, their research revealed a complicated reality: the audience developed over nearly a decade of audio podcasts showed indifference toward the visual component. As Schubert explained to TechCrunch, an episode distributed only in audio recorded similar numbers to the video version.

This dilemma repeats in the studios of other creators. Ronald Young Jr., an established podcaster, considered investing more in video but decided against it after reflecting on his audience composition. “I asked myself who I was making this change for,” he said. “And I realized it would mainly be for advertisers and for those who believe video is inevitably the future of everything.”

However, viewing behavior shows different trends. Mikah Sargent, who has produced shows like “This Week in Tech” with video components for over fifteen years, explains how many listeners use podcasts as company during difficult moments or long trips. This constant background function presents a significant commercial opportunity: podcasts potentially occupy more streaming time than a traditional TV series.

How Netflix is planning its approach

Unlike Spotify, which has aggressively acquired tech startups and studios to control the entire podcast production chain, Netflix is adopting a more calibrated strategy. Matthew Dysart, an entertainment rights lawyer and former head of podcasts at Spotify, notes that Netflix’s moves represent “significant capital infusions for creators, but relatively modest from a global perspective for a tech platform of Netflix’s scale.”

Netflix expects revenues of about $45 billion this year. In this context, investments in podcasts, while relevant to the creator economy, remain measured. Dysart anticipates an escalation: “I expect Netflix to soon negotiate nine-figure deals with top podcast creators, as well as big bets on original podcasts with high-profile personalities.”

The elusive definition of podcasts

A fundamental tension separates how creators and tech companies conceive of podcasts. For content producers, the format can include conversational shows suitable for video, but also scripted fiction with elaborate sound design, curated audio stories similar to NPR, or hybrid narratives that are not easily translatable into visual format.

Eric Silver, a podcaster and industry observer, notes how the term “podcast” has become vague. “It basically means any show now,” he told TechCrunch. This ambiguity has significant implications when large platforms enter the market: their strategies shape the entire ecosystem.

The legacy of previous consolidations

The industry still remembers what happened when Spotify acquired and consolidated a significant portion of the podcast market, later contributing to the bubble burst with studio closures and widespread layoffs. When another big tech company enters the sector, creators remain cautious.

Silver highlights a recurring dynamic: “When companies consolidate in media and entertainment, those already in power continue to get richer, while the underlying industry faces increasing uncertainty and decreasing resource availability.”

Toward the new era of domestic leisure

If Netflix succeeds, the culture of home consumption will be reshaped. As Sargent recounts, in previous generations soap operas were the background of household chores, and he himself used “The Office” in this way. Today, podcasts can serve this same function of constant companionship. If Netflix manages to position itself as the main platform for this consumption, it would be a significant strategic victory in redefining how people spend their leisure time at home.