The Podcast Pivot: Are Visuals Killing the Audio Experience?
The podcasting landscape is undergoing a dramatic shift, with a growing emphasis on video content that threatens to overshadow the medium’s core strength: audio.
For years, podcasts were defined by their accessibility and convenience – audio recordings available for on-demand listening. Now, the definition has broadened to encompass video podcasts, often repurposed from other platforms or created specifically for visual consumption.This trend is driven by networks eager to capitalize on the marketing potential of shareable video clips for social media, prioritizing “eyeballs over ears” and, in some cases, actively detracting from the listening experience.
Alex Marler’s podcast serves as a stark illustration of this trend. Marler, a former rugby player and star of The Celebrity Traitors, adopts the persona of a psychotherapist, subjecting guests to “totally unregulated psychological testing,” complete with visual gags that fall flat for audio-only listeners.
The shift towards video isn’t entirely unexpected. Networks are eager to capitalize on the marketing potential of easily shareable video clips for social media, driving audience engagement and generating headlines. However,this pursuit of “eyeballs over ears” is leading to podcasts that actively detract from the listening experience.
Consider the example of Marler’s podcast. During a conversation with fellow Celebrity Traitors contestant Nick Mohammed, a magician by trade, Marler requested Mohammed perform a card trick. While visually engaging for viewers,the trick’s nuances were lost on listeners,creating a disjointed experience. Similarly, a staged “trust exercise” involving a crossbow and a paper cup – revealed to be a toy gun upon closer inspection – proved confusing and ultimately pointless for those relying solely on audio. As one critic noted, listening to these moments felt like “eavesdropping on a stranger telling a funny story but missing the vital plot points.”
This isn’t an isolated incident. A recent episode of Diary of a CEO With Steven Bartlett, featuring insomnia expert Matthew Walker, saw Bartlett present his guest with a jar of gold coins to illustrate a concept related to sleep and stress. Crucially, this visual aid was never described for the podcast’s listeners, resulting in “long pauses and incomprehensible shuffling sounds.”
Poor audio quality further exacerbates the problem. Early episodes of The Rest Is Football, hosted by Gary Lineker, Micah Richards, and Alan Shearer, were plagued by muffled sound, as if the hosts were “broadcasting from deep inside a cave.” While the issue was eventually resolved, the podcast’s upcoming daily broadcast on Netflix underscores a clear prioritization of visual platforms.
the root of the issue, according to Miranda Sawyer, a podcast host and audio critic, lies in the backgrounds of many podcast creators. “A podcast made by people who come from a telly, YouTube or Insta background prioritises video rather than audio, and the result can be painful to hear,” she explained. She further noted that a preference for video often leads to a lack of attention to detail in audio production, with participants on Zoom experiencing technical difficulties and a general lack of editing to improve the listening experience.
Eleanor McDowall, an audio documentary-maker, echoed this sentiment, observing that networks are increasingly driven by the “ease of advertising” rather than the inherent value of the audio content itself. However, high-quality audio podcasts haven’t disappeared. Recent releases like Adrift, an apple Original podcast detailing a family’s shipwreck in the 1970s, and Audible’s remake of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone demonstrate the power of immersive sound design.
Despite these examples, a certain type of podcast remains fixated on studio aesthetics and celebrity presence, frequently enough at the expense of audio quality. McDowall expressed hope for a future where audio and video diverge once again, recognizing that the strength of podcasting lies in its ability to “spark the imagination” through sound.
Ultimately, the current focus on visuals overlooks the convenience of audio, allowing listeners to engage with content while multitasking – walking the dog, cooking, or commuting. Dedicated audiophiles are unlikely to switch to a visual version of a poorly produced podcast; they will simply tune out. The future of podcasting hinges on recognizing and respecting the unique power of audio, ensuring that the pursuit of visuals doesn’t silence the voices that made the medium so compelling in the first place.
