But, Why?
The technical implementation is straightforward. But, the bigger question is "why" podcast platforms should start supporting live events. Is it because "everyone else is doing it"? Is it the "next big thing"? Well kind of yes, kind of no and perhaps some other reason altogether.
YouTube, the ultimate on-demand proprietary creator platform, integrated live events into their offering years ago. Twitter/X did a few years ago as well. Netflix has recently added it. Hulu and other video streamers have added linear TV broadcasts. Amazon Prime has added live NFL games. Apple TV has added live baseball. Why have they all done this? Because, there is a feeling of incompleteness when you don't have both sides of the media delivery equation. We don't just read the news. We also talk about it with our friends. Life is always a mix of both past and present.
Podcasting, without the ability to stream events live, feels incomplete and immature in a way I can't fully verbalize. It's kind of hard to take it seriously. There is already a perception problem with podcasting. Often, when celebrities and news personalities leave (or get fired) from high paying roles they will go on to the next phase of their career by "starting a podcast". It's sort of the 2020's version of "spending more time with family". If we want the public to see podcasting as a fully developed, mature option for media consumption instead of a collection of also-rans and fringe content strung together on apps nobody has ever heard of, then live event support is non-negotiable. It carries with it a sense of legitimacy that I believe podcasting very much needs.
There is really no reason not to integrate live events into podcast apps. It's been working wonderfully for over 2 years now in the apps that support this feature. There are so many benefits to be had, and not a single downside I can think of. The lack of universal live event support in podcast apps is actively harming podcasting by making it impossible for linear broadcasters to make a full digital transition. The solution is simple and already in use. It just needs more coverage and awareness of how simple it is to implement.
To put it bluntly, stop complaining about YouTube if you can't even do what they do. If you only do half of a thing, someone else will come along and do the other half. And, that's on us for not finishing.
