Podcasts are coming to PLEX!

What is Plex?

Plex is a media player application that allows users to organize their video, audio and photo collections and also features online services.

Plex also has media players that are available on mobile devices, smart TVs, streaming boxes and a web app.

There are many third-party applications for Plex as well.

Podcasts are coming to Plex, followed by web series and other digital media | TechCrunch

Plex is already talking to a variety of creators to add their content to Plex.In the future, the company plans to integrate digital, web-first and other longer-form content from creators into its app, too…

This past fall, media software maker Plex expanded its service with the integration of a dedicated news hub within its app… Now the company is preparing to move into other verticals that will further complement its software for organizing home media, and streaming and recording live TV from a digital antenna.

A New Podcast Discovery Engine

The podcast strategy that Plex seems to be implementing is to target the controversial Podcast Discovery Problem. Some people believe that the major problem impeding growth in podcasting is that there isn’t a discovery engine that allows listeners to find podcasts that are of interest to them.

The best form of discovery at the moment is word of mouth. For me, I discover podcasts through recommendations of podcast hosts and their guests. If I like a guest on a podcast I listen to I will check out his or her show.

Plex To Unite All Media, Starting With Podcasts: Report | Androidheadlines.com

…If the reports turn out to be accurate, Plex plans to put those to work first by bringing podcasts from platforms like YouTube into its fold and making recommendations based on what a user already watches. Again, the goal here wouldn’t be to take that content from other platforms but to expand the reach and influence of content creators and curators that already exist on those platforms and to position itself as a central hub for media.  As with Plex’s current services, that solution would be available on the web, via a mobile app, and possibly through a TV antenna-enabled streaming box which the company is rumored to be working on.

It will be interesting to see if Plex users get relevant podcast recommendations based on other content consumed in Plex. If I watch a TV show will I get a recommendation on a podcast episode covering the show?

Plex reportedly planning to support podcasts

The service, when it launches, would include both audio and video podcasts. Plex would also tie the podcast feature into the other content you watch (like live TV) and suggest podcasts based on that. Plex is apparently already talking to creators about launching podcasts on its service, but the pitch is not to leave other platforms like YouTube. Plex thinks its recommendation engine will help podcasts get more exposure, and that might be true if people actually fire up podcasts in Plex. The recommendation features would also likely be opt-in.

This may not be a game changer for the podcast industry but it will offer more content choices for users of Plex. The discovery engine may create a great user experience for users as they find more relevant content.

I don’t use Plex but it sounds like it is worth looking into.

What do you think?