YouTube’s dedicated podcasts homepage is now live in the US

Podcasts have become a focus for streaming services for a while now, but YouTube hasn’t quite calibrated its strategy regarding this important part of the entertainment industry. There have been reports going back as far as the beginning of the year, which pointed to a dedicated podcasts homepage that YouTube would launch at some point in 2022.

Although 2022 is far from over, it’s a bit strange that YouTube didn’t manage to release such a trivial feature. A dedicated podcasts homepage would not just allow YouTube users to find their favorite podcasts much easier, but it would also make it easier for the service to recommend podcasts to its users.

A few days ago, 9to5google spotted a dedicated podcast page accessible via YouTube’s Explore page. However, the page is not available for all YouTube users, so if you don’t see it on the Explore page alongside other tabs like Gaming, Sports and Fashion, it’s because YouTube is probably just testing this feature in the United States only.

TechCrunch has reached out to YouTube for comment and got a confirmation that the page is only available in the US: “The podcast destination page on YouTube helps users explore new and popular podcast episodes, shows and creators, as well as recommend podcast content. It’s currently available in the U.S. only.”

An official announcement followed by a broader rollout might happen next month at the YouTube creator event, but we’ll just have to wait and see.