2025 will bring us a video-first news podcast that will take advantage of massive changes in media consumption to change how global news is covered. It will combine compelling imagery, quality news gathering, and timely reporting to bring the clarity and scope we currently expect from television news directly to our personal devices.
A variety of trends are pushing news in this direction. Podcasts are growing as a source of news faster than any other. According to a recent study by Pew, 50% of Americans consumed news through podcasts in 2024, up 9% since 2021. In parallel, video is coming to the podcast medium. Edison Metrics tells us that YouTube is now the No. 1 podcasting app in the United States, and the No. 2 app, Spotify, announced in November it would be adding video capabilities to its podcasts. Many popular sports podcasts made these changes in 2023 and 2024, leading the way. They leverage video to show highlights, feature prominent guests, and create more immersive user experiences.
This has happened before. In the late 1960s, network television correspondents used the growth of color television to bring America the truth about the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, and political upheaval around the country. Like those changemakers who took advantage of the expansion of color television, 2025’s next-generation journalists will leverage the expansion and continued democratization of video creation and distribution to make citizens more aware of what is going on in their world.
John Saroff is the CEO of Chartbeat.
