‘The Traitors: Uncloaked’, a companion podcast for the BBC’s ‘The Traitors’
While video was once an optional add-on to a podcast, now many of the most popular podcasts have a video component, with some media companies starting to position their podcasts as a video-first format.
For podcast producers, there are a range of benefits. Video allows them to tap into new audiences who don’t engage with audio-only content; it’s very useful from a marketing perspective, since clips from video podcasts can be run across social platforms to attract new viewers; and it allows them to run video ads alongside their content, which can attract higher CPMs than audio ads.
New research from Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator, shows that from the perspective of listeners, there’s a bit less clear-cut enthusiasm for video. But the study does highlight an interesting relationship between video podcasts and TV, highlighting podcasts’ benefits to broadcasters.
A must-watch experience?
Ofcom’s ‘Audio listening in the UK’ report, released this morning, charts changes in audio media habits across the UK. The study shows the continued rise in popularity of podcasting generally, with 33 percent of those surveyed saying they listen to podcasts weekly, up from 26 percent in 2022.
Among weekly podcast listeners, video podcasts have wide reach. Sixty-eight percent said they have listened to podcasts with video. And 27 percent said they prefer to watch podcasts if there is a video version available.
This latter figure, however, was down from 29 percent last year. Meanwhile 39 percent say they prefer to listen to podcasts as audio-only content, and 26 percent say they play the video version of podcasts, but don’t actively watch it. As Ofcom’s report puts it, there is perhaps an increasing ambivalence towards video podcasts: the proportion who play video in the background was up from 23 percent last year, while the proportion who reported no preference between audio or video rose from 5 percent to 8 percent.
There may be several factors behind this ambivalence. Firstly, Ofcom’s data suggests that audiences often listen to podcasts in settings where video is impractical. Some of the most commonly cited activities and locations for podcast listening were walking (mentioned by 38 percent of respondents), doing housework (37 percent), travelling in a car (33 percent), and while exercising (19 percent).
And while the vast majority of the most popular podcasts in the UK have a video component, several of these only offer video on YouTube.
The fact that podcasts remain popular as an audio-only product also makes it harder for content creators to shift viewers onto video. Producers need to make sure video isn’t a crucial part of the experience, since many listeners won’t watch it. But that means the video component has to remain inherently limited, rather than a key, must-watch part of the experience.
Made for TV
This relationship obviously doesn’t hold in the same way for podcasts which are designed for TV. And Ofcom’s research found that made-for-TV podcasts (such as ‘The Traitors: Uncloaked’, ‘The Apprentice: Unfinished Business’, and ‘Love Island: The Morning After’) have a symbiotic relationship with wider TV programming.
Looking solely at people who had previously watched podcast content linked to TV programmes, 60 percent said they would be interested in watching more video podcasts for other programmes, compared to 17 percent who disagreed. Fifty-nine percent said that video podcasts improved their TV viewing experience, while 14 percent disagreed. And while there was some negative sentiment around the quality of these shows, audiences seem to have a positive attitude on balance. Thirty-six percent disagreed that video podcasts on TV are poor quality TV, with 30 percent agreeing, and 34 percent neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
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