Google could be launching its Play Music podcast section in February, it’s been claimed.
Towards the end of October last year, Google announced that it would be adding podcasts to its Play Music streaming service over the following months.
Now a well-placed source has claimed that Google’s podcast section could be rolling out this month.
As highlighted by Droid-life, popular US podcaster Bill Simmons recently tweeted that his own show would be “available on Google Play when GP launches its podcast platform later this month.”
How would Simmons know this? When Google announced its upcoming podcast provision in October, it also enabled podcast producers in the US to start uploading their episodes ahead of launch.
It stands to reason, then, that a popular US podcaster like Simmons (he has secured 27 million ‘listens’ in just four months after years of podcasting for ESPN) would have advance knowledge of when Google’s podcast service is likely to go live.
If that wasn’t convincing enough, the aforementioned tweet has since been deleted, suggesting that Simmons had jumped the gun on a sensitive piece of information.
Related: Living with YouTube Music: Can it win over a Spotify diehard?
Google’s podcast service will include content from dozens of popular casters like HBO, How Stuff Works, Nerdist and Slate when it officially launches.
Besides offering a powerful podcast search system (which you’d expect from Google), the service will “connect new listeners with podcasts based on what they’re doing, how they’re feeling, or what they’re interested in” – much like the existing Play Music service does for music tracks, in fact.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
