Pandora adds podcasts to its web player and desktop app

Last year, Pandora introduced a library of podcasts which has grown from hundreds of shows to thousands. While the service offered many of the most popular series, the sticking point was that support was limited to the company's mobile apps. To make it easier for listeners to catch up with their favorite podcasts, Pandora has added the episodic content to its desktop app and web player, which is available to both free and paid users.

Podcasts have been booming over the last few years -- Stitcher, Apple, Spotify and plenty of others have been building out their services while Pandora seemed to struggle. The company hopes to differentiate itself with the Podcast Genome Project, which uses a mix of algorithms and manual curation to suggest both shows and individual episodes to listen to. Pandora also offers some exclusive shows from SiriusXM hosts like Kevin Hart and Hoda Kotb, and upcoming scripted series based on Marvel superheroes.

With Pandora having played second fiddle to Spotify for years now, the company may need more impressive features to attract users and retain existing ones. That said, selection and convenience are two of the more important elements for streaming services to cover, and Pandora seems to be putting more effort into both those fronts.