The beginning of a new year often brings a wave of new product and company launches. In light of the recent interest in podcasting, this year brings a new app called ZCast into the audio content field.
ZCast draws on several of the current trends in mobile apps. It is live and real-time like the video smashes Periscope and Meerkat. It’s social and interactive thanks to Twitter integration. It’s about giving anybody the tools to participate in the podcasting boom.
The app is trading on simplicity as a way to separate itself from other podcast platforms. You just sign up with a Twitter account, tap a button and you’re live. Or you can browse the other people who are currently broadcasting and listen in on their shows.
Based on the feature set, this doesn’t appear to be an app targeting the established podcaster or those seeking professional status. You can’t listen back to previous clips and there’s no path yet for ads or monetization. But for those who want to see podcasting gain most traction, this type of casual exposure could get more people curious about the format and willing to seek out other shows.