NBC News—part of the network that was home to late night hosts from Johnny Carson to David Letterman—have a story on how podcasts are becoming the new talk show.

YouTube, which has become a leading destination for podcast consumers in recent years, said that viewers watched more than 400 million hours of podcasts per month on their TVs in 2024.

Why do podcasts work so well?

They’re free from the restraints of the linear commercial break and TV Guide schedule. And digital platforms allow for community.

“What video podcasts give you is a comment section, and you can plant a flag for a community there in a way that’s sort of disappeared from TV,”