If you’ve ever been on a cruise, one of the more harmless ways to find enjoyment as you away your ship to depart a port is by watching the “pier runners.” They’re the people who so horribly miscalculate their time, and are now sprinting to get on their ship before it leaves without them. It certainly appears as if iHeartMedia is on the verge of being a “pier runner” in the video podcasting space — chasing after a massive ship that’s ready to leave port without the company — if Bob Pittman is to be believed.
During the iHeartMedia earnings call last week, Pittman said that video podcasting isn’t a large priority for the company.
“There’s a lot of talk about video podcasting,” Pittman said. “Clearly, YouTube would love everything to be video podcasting. When you look at the research, it looks like about 10% of podcast users would prefer video … But most people — the overwhelming majority — actually want it to be audio. They are using podcasting because it’s a great experience for them because they don’t want to use their eyes — they’re cooking, they’re driving, they’re running, they’re doing other activities where they can listen but they can’t watch.”
Bob Pittman added that video podcasting works because it isn’t “TV-style production”, noting that “Casual is what people prefer.”
Not to question where the CEO of a major company gets his data from, but literally every other researcher I’ve spoken with in recent months talks about YouTube being a giant in the podcasting space and how users demand the content to be placed there. That flies in the face of “10% of podcast users would prefer video”, but maybe that’s a real number researched by iHeart.
Alternatively, if “casual is what people prefer” in the video podcasting space doesn’t that help iHeartMedia? If that’s the case, the company doesn’t need to invest in million-dollar studios, dozens of video editors, dedicated graphic designers, or anyone else specifically for its podcast efforts. It can just purchase cameras — which are insanely inexpensive — turn them on, record the podcast, do even the slightest editing and be done with it. Wouldn’t that make it a more enticing and easier platform to adopt?
In the latest Edison Research data from its Share of Ear Study, it found that 67% of podcast listening happens at home. And sure, that means that consumers are listening while they’re cooking, they’re running, and “doing other activities where they can listen but they can’t watch” it also means that they aren’t as reliant on their mobile devices as they are in other settings.
That isn’t just a gut feeling, either. Other data from Edison Research shows that at-home listening dropped in 2024. Just like it dropped in 2023.
Oh, and Harker Bos Group and Crowd React Media data shows that more than half of podcast audiences are watching podcasts, while more than 33% prefer video podcasts.
The 2023 edition of Podcast Movement had just one session dedicated to video podcasting. In 2024, it rose to 15 sessions with a tract dedicated explicitly to video podcasting.
Just recently, YouTube has revealed data that alone should change Bob Pittman’s stance. The company now sees more than 1 billion monthly users consuming podcasts on its platform. Additionally, more than 1 billion hours of content on YouTube is consumed daily on televisions. TV sets, not laptops, desktops, tablets, or mobile phones, are the biggest preferred method of use for consumers.
That means people are parked in front of their giant TV screens, looking for content, to the tune of 1 billion hours of content every day. I genuinely don’t understand how — if you work in the content space — someone can see those figures and think “We don’t really need to be there.”
The game is changing. Strike that. The game has already changed. So why is Bob Pittman dragging his feet? Is it the cost of investment? It hasn’t ever been easier and more affordable to build out a digital video entity. Is it the commitment to the audio and podcast space? Because, while noble, the terms “podcast” and “YouTube show” are now indistinguishable to users. Don’t just take my word for it. 75% of respondents in a Coleman Insights study identified podcasts as both audio and video. Only 22% shared that they believe the term “podcast” means audio-only.
This means what I’ve said in this space time and time again: If you create a podcast and it isn’t on YouTube, you simply do not exist to a large portion of your potential audience. YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world. If someone said to you that they don’t put a lot of emphasis on showing up well in Google search results, you’d look at them like they had three heads.
But here we are, discussing a content company — a major one, at that — saying that being in a space that is now completely ubiquitous to users and is somehow still on the way up just isn’t really a priority right now.
Some of the biggest issues with the podcast industry in 2025 relate to discovery. It is still difficult to find new podcasts. But there are ways around it. If you look at the list of the biggest movers in podcast rankings last year, they were all helped by digital video efforts on YouTube or TikTok. It just can’t be ignored.
To his credit, Bob Pittman said iHeartMedia will look at the video podcast space if they can make money doing it. That’s the correct sentiment to have. But waiting to dive into video podcasting in 2025 sort of feels like planning to have a baby: if you wait until you’re ready, you’re never going to be ready.
I’m wholly aware that it’s easy to spend someone else’s money and talk about what companies should and shouldn’t be doing. And I admit to hating the word “should”. I can’t decide what anyone other than me “should” do.
But I don’t think this should even be a discussion for major players. Not only should all of iHeartMedia’s biggest and best podcasts be available in video form already, but its local and national sports and news/talk shows and stations should feature digital video simulcast options, too. And not just because the consumer demands it, but because the potential revenue-generating options are too great to ignore, too.
My fear doesn’t simply rest with iHeartMedia. As the giant in the industry, it serves as the bellwether for other companies who can justify their feet-dragging by saying “If iHeart isn’t investing in the space, should we?”
Ultimately, I worry that iHeartMedia doesn’t even make it onto the pier to see the video podcasting ship pulling up its anchor and leaving the port. It’ll still be in the taxi asking where they should stop for dinner before leisurely strolling down the dock before realizing that the ship is already gone, full of others who have completely monetized and dominated the space.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
