"Google Podcasts to shut down in 2024" isn't misleading, that's exactly what's happening. The fact that they're trying to force people onto YouTube Music isn't relevant for me.
Google Podcasts, the app (and website?) is shutting down. It will no longer exist. Re-framing it as its UI moving somewhere else is a bit like if WhatsApp was to be shuttered and moved to Facebook Messenger, and you said "it's not becoming unavailable, its UI is being moved to to Facebook Messenger".
Except for some exclusive podcasts, which Google has zero, podcasts are an open standard. Google Podcasts is just one of many clients, so there was never a worry of service availability. All podcast apps except Spotify are just different UI.
Podcasts are already in YTM though. Nothing’s moving. They’re killing off a product, plain and simple. Whether that’s no big deal or a big deal is up to every individual. I am assuming anybody who wanted to use YTM for podcasts already is, and it’s not a stretch to say people will probably be annoyed.
Arguably it’s no more relevant than is the fact that there are a dozen other podcast apps out there. The podcast feature in YTM already exists and is distinct.
This change means X number of people need to go looking for some alternative, and given Google’s lack of ability to keep any product alive long-term besides Gmail, YouTube, and Search, YTM should arguably be the absolute last one on your list to consider, since we all know it (or its podcast section) will be replaced with something else within the next five years, just like nearly every Google product.
It sounds like you just want to rant?