A still from an episode of “The Political Fourcast”, a Channel 4 News podcast primarily available on YouTube. The panellists (left to right) are Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Reform UK politician David Bull, Conservative peer Jo Johnson and former Labour MP Harriet Harman.
Channel 4 News’ flagship political podcast has found success by virtually abandoning the audio platform altogether, instead publishing on YouTube.
Political Forecast achieved an average of over 100,000 YouTube views for each episode released during the UK general election campaign, ranking second among Press Gazette rated political podcasts behind market leader The Rest is Politics.
The podcast, which launched in late 2020, started out as an audio product, Mike Delli-Smith, head of digital at Channel 4 News, told Press Gazette last week, but he said it “never took off with that”.
“We didn’t have an app, we didn’t have a giant news site, we didn’t have a walled garden to keep our listeners informed. [to the content].
“So we thought: ‘Yes, we have to use our expertise and do it on video.’
Thank you for your registration.
close
He now says he wishes he had started with video from day one, as “every other podcast show is doing these days.”
Content from our partners
As journalism cuts deepen, here’s a key way to future-proof your media career
[โThe first podcast electionโ: Political podcasts explode in run-up to polling day]
Channel 4 News relies on video and the expertise of its correspondents
Unlike well-known audio-only political podcasts such as “The News Agents,” “The Rest is Politics” and “Electoral Dysfunction,” “The Political Fourcast” isn’t structured around a conversation between two or three permanent hosts, and while it’s more laid-back than the Channel 4 news bulletins, it rarely adopts the chatty tone adopted by some of its competitors.
Rather, the programme resembles more traditional political analysis television programmes such as Newsnight, where Channel 4 News presenters such as Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lindsay Hilsam facilitate debate between experts and politicians.
“We know how to use video well, so when we created the podcast as a vodcast, we realized that the quality, the broadcast and the studio could be a real selling point and a point of differentiation for us, rather than competing against a very competitive field,” Deli Smith told Press Gazette.
“We thought that rather than giving opinions, we could rely on the expertise of our correspondents and our expertise on how to make really quality video productions.”
When asked how The Political Fourcast is different as a video podcast, or “vodcast,” rather than a traditional audio podcast, Deli Smith responded, “We think about what the studio looks like. We think about the interaction between our guests.”
“We’re not trying to get the same two people to speak every time. So instead of having the same two politicians or the same two presenters every time, we’re really thinking about, ‘Who are our panelists? How can we move this conversation forward?'”
“[Weโre] We’re trying to think about what the studio lineup is and what the really good conversations are between the panels that can share a lot of knowledge and expertise.”
Deli Smith said The Political Forecast is “not the opinion-driven content that maybe other shows are doing.”
“The medium is evolving,” he says, and podcasts “are not just two people saying, ‘What were you doing yesterday?’ It can’t just be chatting. It doesn’t have to just be true crime. It’s also professionalizing and becoming more like broadcast. YouTube is becoming more like TV, and podcasts need to step up.”
“And you can’t just upload a Zoom recording to the internet and hope it works. You have to evolve, you have to become professional, so at Channel 4 News, you have to use your expertise and make it look like Channel 4 News. You can’t have a shoddy version. You’re holding it to the same standards as broadcast, so it has to be as good as the linear version of the broadcast.”
How a YouTube-first approach helped The Political Fourcast reach new audiences
Deli Smith suggested that in The Fourcast’s case, prioritizing YouTube solved one of the biggest problems professional podcasters face: discoverability.
Often the only way a new podcast can reach potential new listeners is through word of mouth, recommendations in other media or expensive marketing campaigns, but YouTube “is very equal because it’s driven by how much people are actually watching,” Deli Smith said. [a channel]how many people click on it?โ
โWe already have a very strong presence on YouTube and the algorithms, from what we understand, have always been very consistent.
“When people watch for longer periods of time, quality rises to the top because the algorithms recommend that. People expect a higher quality product from vodcasts, not just in terms of editing but also in terms of production.” The average watch time for each episode of Forecast is 15 to 17 minutes, according to Deli Smith.
Publishing on YouTube has also impacted the type of audience the podcast garners.
“We’re not trying to cater to the same 10,000 people who are downloading it, and of those, maybe only 2,000 are listening every time,” Deli Smith said.
“We reach an average of 100,000 viewers who listen for 10 to 15 minutes each time, so we know these views are really reliable.”
“The growth of the podcast market is absolutely down to video for us,” said Ed Fraser, editor-in-chief of Channel 4 News, adding that “we’re betting on this.”
“Podcasts are about conversations and unique perspectives and we’re combining our deep conversational style with key elements of Channel 4 News to bring something special to every episode…” he said.
“I think it sends a message that you’re not just watching a podcast – you’re watching a mini TV news show, a conversational programme with all the great things about Channel 4 News.”
It’s even in the visual details: The Political Fourcast was recorded at Channel 4 News studios in London and arranged to have a more lounge-like feel.
While podcasting orthodoxy advises that publishers should find and stick to a regular publishing schedule, The Fourcast releases episodes at more irregular intervals, averaging about five times a month.
Deli Smith said that while The Fourcast used to be published weekly, “we realized we needed to treat every podcast as an urgent vodcast so that we could respond very quickly, even though it’s video and it takes time,” rather than three days behind schedule.
This approach of recording podcasts immediately after major news events has been adopted by other prominent publications such as The Rest is Politics and The News Agents.
“We want to go faster than audio output, which can take a full day of sound design,” says Deli Smith. “We’re aiming to get it done in a matter of hours.”
But computers say no to sensitive topics on YouTube
But YouTube is not without its drawbacks.
Fraser said: “In the case of YouTube, they have what’s called ‘age-restricted’ content, which means that any viewer who isn’t over 18 and signed in and registered is effectively blocked.”
“Much of our powerful reporting from Gaza has been age-restricted by YouTube. We have fought against this and have had very high-level discussions and conversations with them, but they cannot be budged.”
“If you press them, they will review the video but their decision will come back as ‘the computer says no’. Often it’s because there is emotive content in the video and they consider it to be harm or offence. But under the obligations we are subject to under Ofcom, it is not classed as violating harm or offence. We do it at a very professional level.”
Deli Smith said a video that hadn’t been blocked “might have been viewed 5 million times during the height of the Israel-Gaza war.”
“If it gets blocked, it could be 20,000.”
Mr Fraser added: “Politicians believed when they negotiated the Online Safety Act that there were exemptions for journalists and that something like this would not happen.”
“In fact, it’s happening anyway. The law hasn’t been fully implemented yet, so YouTube is sticking to its current approach.”
To spot an error, provide a story tip or submit a letter for publication on our Letters Page blog, email pged@pressgazette.co.uk