Podcasts are finally coming to Google Play Music, after the service announced it was adding the format back in October. According to an internal NPR email obtained by Android Police, Google has informed the public radio network that the podcasting platform will launch on Monday, April 18th, nearly six months after the initial announcement.
“Google will launch podcasts on Android and other platforms next Monday, April 18, inside of Google Play Music, a streaming service similar to Apple Music,” NPR stated in a letter to its members, while also noting the information was under embargo and shouldn’t be shared (so much for that).
Although it seems highly probable that podcasts will be available on Google Play Music next week, this wouldn’t be the first time a broadcaster has been seemingly duped by the streaming service. There was a false alarm for the launch of the platform back in February, after popular podcaster and writer Bill Simmons tweeted (and then deleted) that his Bill Simmons Podcast would be available on Google Play later in the month, which ultimately never came to fruition.
But an embargoed email from NPR is a little more legitimate than a rapidly deleted tweet, so we should see Google take the wraps off its podcast section early next week. As for what Google, a spokesperson told The Verge “that’s a story we’ll have to explore. Check back soon for our next episode.”
- SourceAndroid Police
Article source: http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/14/11434876/google-play-music-podcast-section-april-18th