Apple has announced a new “transformative update” to the Apple Podcasts app. This will bring a new integrated video podcast experience to the Apple Podcasts app this spring. This enhanced video podcast experience will use Apple’s industry-leading HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology. The new experience will bring Apple Podcasts more in line with its competitors like Spotify, YouTube Music, and others.
Apple introduces a new video podcast experience on Apple Podcasts
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, says that by bringing a category-leading video experience to Apple Podcasts, Apple is putting “creators in full control of their content and how they build their businesses.” All this while making it easier for audiences to listen to or watch podcasts. In the Apple Podcasts app, users will now be able to seamlessly switch between watching and listening to shows from the same feed.
Users can also use picture-in-picture mode and download video episodes for offline viewing. Automatic quality adjustment powered by HLS technology ensures smooth playback across network conditions. Apple says that video episodes will integrate existing features, including personalized recommendations and editorial curation on the New tab in Category pages.
Keeping up with Spotify and YouTube
Apple says that the new video podcast experience empowers creators. For the first time, creators can dynamically insert video ads. Creators who distribute through participating hosting providers and ad networks will be able to insert video ads, including host-read spots, into episodes. The company says that it will not charge creators or hosting providers to distribute content on Apple Podcasts, whether via traditional RSS/MP3 or HLS video.
However, it will charge participating ad networks an impression-based fee for delivering dynamic ads through HLS starting later this year. The launch podcast hosting partners include Acast, Amazon-owned ART19, Triton’s Omny Studio, and SiriusXM. Apple says that HLS video is available for testing in beta versions of iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4. This will come to Apple products this spring.
The announcement comes at a time when competitors continue to invest in podcast video. YouTube reportedly said last year that it has more than a billion monthly active viewers of podcast content. Meanwhile, Spotify said it paid more than $100 million to podcasters in the first quarter of last year. Netflix, too, is moving aggressively in the video podcasts space.
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