Apple has announced exciting plans to enhance its Apple Podcasts platform this spring with the launch of an integrated video podcast experience. This update aims to position Apple Podcasts more competitively alongside other major players in the audio-visual space, including Spotify, YouTube, and Netflix, all of which have increasingly embraced video podcasting.
The new features will allow users to seamlessly switch between watching and listening to shows within the same podcast feed. Additionally, support for picture-in-picture mode and offline download options for video episodes will enhance the overall user experience.
The rise of video podcasts has been notable, with recent Edison research showing that about 37% of individuals aged 12 and older now engage with video podcasts monthly. Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, stated, “Twenty years ago, Apple helped take podcasting mainstream by adding podcasts to iTunes, and more than a decade ago, we introduced the dedicated Apple Podcasts app. By enhancing the video experience, we empower creators with more control over their content and make it easier for audiences to enjoy podcasts in their preferred format.”
While Apple Podcasts has allowed video through RSS since 2005, this update marks a significant shift. Previously, video and audio versions of podcasts were treated separately, but the new support for HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) will enable adaptive video playback and enhanced controls within the app. Moreover, HLS will facilitate dynamic video ad insertion, allowing creators to include video ads—such as host-read spots—into their episodes. Creators using participating hosting providers and ad networks can take advantage of this feature without the burden of distribution fees, though participating ad networks will incur an impression-based fee.
Hosting partners for this rollout include companies like Acast, Amazon-owned ART19, Triton’s Omny Studio, and SiriusXM, all of which will support the new HLS video feature.
This announcement comes as competitors also continue to invest heavily in video podcasting. YouTube reported over 1 billion monthly active podcast viewers last year, while Spotify disclosed paying more than US$100 million to podcasters in the first quarter of the previous year. Netflix has also entered the arena, collaborating with Spotify to bring video podcasts to its platform and investing in original programming, such as “The Pete Davidson Show,” which debuted in January.
Though Apple does not disclose specific revenue figures for its podcasting service, the company’s Services segment, encompassing digital content and subscriptions, generated US$30 billion in revenue in the last quarter.
In addition, in January, Apple acquired Israeli artificial intelligence startup Q.ai, which reportedly develops AI-driven tools for audio content, though the specifics of the acquisition remain under wraps.
