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While I understand the objections to Google self promoting their products and masking audience data I don't see how removing their podcasts from one of the most

While I understand the objections to Google self promoting their products and masking audience data I don't see how removing their podcasts from one of the most popular platforms helps with what the BBC claims to be important. "What we think is important is pretty simple. We want people to have easy access to the wide range of BBC programmes, not just a select few, and be able to discover and listen to new ones really easily." Cutting off your audience potential to understand your audience better is some kind of broken logic. The comments section highlights that their own audience generally does not accept their reasoning.

moonstick 8y ago
Wasn't this in the article - searches for BBC content is going to Google not the BBC. If they remove content from google, searches will go to BBC where they can display more than the limited range Google show.
- monkeynotes 8y ago
  Then I think they misunderstand how some of their audience uses technology. I search for podcasts in my app of choice (which happens to be google's product). And even if I didn't I am not going to start using another app, that I don't like as much, just to listen to a BBC podcast.
snapdangle 8y ago
If Google Podcasts has gone from non-existence to being "one of the most popular platforms" in a matter of months, its actually an insanely good reason not to engage with them at all.
- monkeynotes 8y ago
  Can you explain this a little? I don't really understand your point.
  - sjwright 8y ago
    If this isn’t antitrust, then I don’t know what is.
    - monkeynotes 8y ago
      Personally I've wanted a good podcast app on Android and the Google app ticked all the boxes. Maybe Google is successful because of good product design in this case. However, I do agree the overall size of Google's influence is of concern.
      - JetSpiegel 8y ago
        That's because searching "podcasts" on the Play Store yields Google Podcasts as the first result, and AntennaPod (arguably the best app in the market) appears on the fifth row. https://play.google.com/store/search?q=podcasts https://play.google.com/store/search?q=podcasts
      - pbhjpbhj 8y ago
        Google get all the metrics, particularly on popularity of podcast apps available in the Play store. When new features are added they can see the metrics on increase or decrease in uptake, etc.. If the top podcast apps are using Google for advertising then that's more useful data. This surely means Google are in a position to eat any apps lunch if they choose to. If Google couldn't release a product and have that hit the top 3 [on Android] in a few months then they have some serious problems; they'd have to majorly mess up their design or functionality, by not bothering to look at the metrics. Now of course Google might choose to make something "innovative", but at least as far as which functions to include, and what people using podcast apps like, they're starting with a major advantage.
madeofpalk 8y ago
> I don't see how removing their podcasts from one of the most popular platforms helps with what the BBC claims to be important. They're not. Apple Podcasts is the most popular podcast client, followed by... Spotify I believe, then 'other'.

moonstick 8y ago

Wasn't this in the article - searches for BBC content is going to Google not the BBC. If they remove content from google, searches will go to BBC where they can display more than the limited range Google show.

monkeynotes 8y ago
Then I think they misunderstand how some of their audience uses technology. I search for podcasts in my app of choice (which happens to be google's product). And even if I didn't I am not going to start using another app, that I don't like as much, just to listen to a BBC podcast.

snapdangle 8y ago

If Google Podcasts has gone from non-existence to being "one of the most popular platforms" in a matter of months, its actually an insanely good reason not to engage with them at all.

monkeynotes 8y ago
Can you explain this a little? I don't really understand your point.
- sjwright 8y ago
  If this isn’t antitrust, then I don’t know what is.
  - monkeynotes 8y ago
    Personally I've wanted a good podcast app on Android and the Google app ticked all the boxes. Maybe Google is successful because of good product design in this case. However, I do agree the overall size of Google's influence is of concern.
    - JetSpiegel 8y ago
      That's because searching "podcasts" on the Play Store yields Google Podcasts as the first result, and AntennaPod (arguably the best app in the market) appears on the fifth row. https://play.google.com/store/search?q=podcasts https://play.google.com/store/search?q=podcasts
    - pbhjpbhj 8y ago
      Google get all the metrics, particularly on popularity of podcast apps available in the Play store. When new features are added they can see the metrics on increase or decrease in uptake, etc.. If the top podcast apps are using Google for advertising then that's more useful data. This surely means Google are in a position to eat any apps lunch if they choose to. If Google couldn't release a product and have that hit the top 3 [on Android] in a few months then they have some serious problems; they'd have to majorly mess up their design or functionality, by not bothering to look at the metrics. Now of course Google might choose to make something "innovative", but at least as far as which functions to include, and what people using podcast apps like, they're starting with a major advantage.

madeofpalk 8y ago

> I don't see how removing their podcasts from one of the most popular platforms helps with what the BBC claims to be important. They're not. Apple Podcasts is the most popular podcast client, followed by... Spotify I believe, then 'other'.