June 20, 2025

“Another 374,000 flights” - the cost of adding video

4 minutes

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The yearly environmental effect of Spotify integrating video into its music platform could mean an increase in carbon emissions equivalent to an extra 374,000 flights between Paris and New York, according to a new study. Video is significantly more energy-intensive, says carbon management company Greenly, because screens need to be on and lit, and video uses increased data and processor power.

The study notes that adding video to an audio-only platform means over 50x more carbon emissions every hour. The study only measures Spotify’s music platform, and not podcasting: but video podcasting on Spotify, and on YouTube, will mean additional energy use.

Pocket Casts has added transcripts to its web player. “Some podcasts include their own transcripts which are available to all users. And if they don’t, as a Plus or Patron subscriber, you have access to auto-generated transcripts!” Here is an example from our daily update, showing named voices.

The third biggest news podcast in the UK, Politics Joe has put its video podcast behind a Patreon paywall. The audio version will remain free for all. The company said that its dependence on YouTube was a business risk; and that its audio version was earning twice as much revenue, despite attracting half the audience. The company claims to have attracted 350 paying subscribers in just five days, each paying £8 (US$10.50) per month for access.

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