Nobody has been able to define what a “podcast” is for quite some time. And I don’t think the addition of shows now airing on Netflix helps create that determination, either.
Media labels shape expectations, measurement, and even how creators think about their audience. When a show’s primary home is a global video streamer, it’s fair to ask whether the word “podcast” still fits.
For years, podcasting was defined by audio-first distribution. RSS feeds mattered. Downloads mattered. Listening without a screen mattered most of all. Video showed up later as a value add, not the main course. The growth of YouTube didn’t break that definition, because audio remained the center of gravity for most shows that mattered. If anything, it enhanced the podcast medium.
Some programs still live comfortably in that hybrid space. They have massive audio audiences and layer in video to extend reach. Others flip the equation, building a huge YouTube presence while keeping audio feeds alive for convenience. College football podcaster Josh Pate made that point known last week, questioning what he should call his show. His YouTube audience dwarfs his audio audience. But, he still labels himself a “podcaster” because what other label fits?
A Netflix show changes that equation immediately. Video isn’t a companion there. Video is the product. The platform is built for sitting, watching, and staying. No one opens Netflix expecting to multitask through earbuds. Viewers press play, look at the screen, and let the algorithm roll them into the next episode. It’s hard to argue that it isn’t the primary distribution platform when the company spent millions in the space.
That matters when we talk about form. An interview show on Netflix isn’t a podcast that happens to have cameras. A panel show with multiple hosts on Netflix isn’t experimenting with distribution. Those formats already have a name. We’ve called them talk shows for decades.
There’s also a difference in cultural context. A podcast that lives alongside funny cat videos and Vine compilations feels native to the internet and to YouTube. It’s casual, portable, and disposable in the best way. A show that lives next to Stranger Things and Love Is Blind plays by different rules. Prestige creeps in, even when the set is a couch and a microphone.
I’m not sure I’m the right person to draw a hard line and declare two separate categories. Labels evolve, and media history is full of blurry transitions. Still, at some point, delineation matters for clarity. When everything is a podcast, the word loses its meaning.
The most common rebuttal is: These shows still have audio versions. They’re available in podcast apps. That argument sounds reasonable until you push it a step further. The CBS Evening News has an audio version, too. No one calls it a podcast. Do you know why? Because it isn’t a podcast!
Distribution alone doesn’t define the format. Intent does. So does audience behavior. When creators design episodes to be watched first, clipped second, and listened to last, the hierarchy is obvious. Audio becomes a byproduct, not the driver.
That shift isn’t bad news. Talk shows are thriving again in new places. Netflix’s investment in conversational formats signals real confidence in personalities and discussion. That’s a win for creators who can carry a room with words, not explosions.
The problem only arises when we pretend nothing has changed. Calling everything a podcast flattens meaningful differences in production, consumption, and measurement. Advertisers notice. Platforms notice. Audiences do too, even if they don’t articulate it.
Podcasting didn’t lose when shows moved to Netflix. It simply revealed its boundaries. Some programs will always be audio-first, even with cameras rolling. Others have graduated into something more visual and more traditional.
That’s okay. We already have a word for it. It’s called a talk show. I don’t know what a “podcast” officially is anymore. But I know what it isn’t. And I think you do, too.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
