From Podcast Movement 2023

<p>When Podcast Movement announced that their annual conference was going to be held in Denver this year, I got excited. I&#39;ve wanted to attend this conference ever since it started, but the timing and finances never seemed to line up. This year, thanks to the generosity of Buzzsprout and the close proximity of the venue, I was able to attend. Here are some of my highlights.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Podcasting is Still Growing</strong></p> <p>And it appears to be growing even more rapidly with YouTube&#39;s new commitment to podcast support and promotion. It&#39;s not just YouTube. Spotify introduced video podcasts into its features last year, and new networks were represented at every level at the conference. The overall trend is that podcasting continues to expand in every direction.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>People Are Hungry for Podcast Curation</strong></p> <p>As more podcasts are becoming available, people are looking for reliable sources of curation for the podcasts they listen to. Networks are one of the prominent sources people are turning to for this kind of service. This need for curation is also putting some pressure on podcast hosting platforms to improve the quality of their search functionality and discovery features. I was blown away by the number of new networks I saw at the conference and the variety of niches and audiences they represented.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Video is Exploding</strong></p> <p>As I mentioned, YouTube and Spotify have created opportunities for podcast producers to include video in their show offerings. I know the video option has been available and popular with podcasters for years, but the increased support is causing some important shifts in the podcasting industry. YouTube has risen into the second slot from the top as the most popular place to watch or listen to podcasts. Spotify has also gained more podcast audiences as it increases access to its video-based podcast services. Several speakers and panels were dedicated to integrating video into the podcasting m