"Having completed its metamorphosis into a more defined sub-genre of YouTube, or a cheaper, looser form of television, the podcast world feels like it's stumbling into yet another uncertain future. Consider, for example, how the medium, now in some waysjust a format, seems poised to be absorbed by yet another totalizing platform: Netflix. Big Red's recent announcement of its partnership with The Ringer, and the spate of reporting indicating that it's approaching more big podcasters, emphasizes just how much the terms of competition have changed."
"Meanwhile, podcasting, however defined, is now unambiguously central to American political culture. We're still living in the long tail of last year's "podcast election," when audio and video shows became a full-fledged battleground for political messaging. Podcasters now run various arms of government; outside the Trump administration, key ideological fights, like the ongoing Republican struggle over whether to embrace the neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes, are being prosecuted, in part, through podcast mics."
Podcasting now operates as a digital-native media layer increasingly aligned with video-first platforms and personality-driven content. Major platforms are shifting competitive focus from Apple and Spotify to video giants such as YouTube and Netflix, with Netflix actively partnering with prominent podcasters. Podcasts have become central to American political culture, shaping messaging, influencing government roles, and fueling ideological contests across the spectrum. Traditional audio documentaries and small experiments persist, but the form's center of gravity has moved toward video integration and platform consolidation, blurring lines between podcasting, Substack, YouTube, and TikTok-style creator economies.
Read at Vulture
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