Quick Answer: A podcast is a program episode made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Podcasts used to be primarily an audio medium, which is reflected in the term itself, a portmanteau of "iPod" and "broadcast" coined in 2004. Podcasts used to refer to an episodic series of digital audio files that users can download to a personal device or stream to listen to at a time of their choosing. In the mid 2020s, however, video podcasts, either as primary content included in the feed, or as an external supplement to audio, have been popularized. In 2025, Bloomberg reported that a billion people are watching podcasts on video platform YouTube every month. This can cause issues where the audio-only experience suffers when something is shown to viewers in a manner which isn't apparent to audio listeners. A podcast series usually features one or more recurring hosts engaged in a discussion about a particular topic or current event.