Apple Brings Video to Podcasts App in Bid to Reclaim Ground From YouTube and Spotify
Apple announces an integrated video experience for Apple Podcasts this spring, using its HLS protocol for adaptive streaming and dynamic ad insertion as the podcast platform wars intensify.
16. Feb. 2026, 21:46
For two decades, Apple defined what a podcast was. The company that once made the medium mainstream by folding it into iTunes now finds itself chasing competitors who reimagined the format around video — and on Monday, Cupertino signaled it intends to fight back Apple Podcasts Is Launching New Video Features, Looking to Keep Pace With YouTube and Spotifyvariety.com·SecondaryApple Podcasts is finally giving video a full embrace. The tech giant, which pioneered the podcast audio format and helped popularize it, has faced stepped-up competition from video podcast viewing on YouTube and Spotify. On Monday, Apple said it will bring “advanced video capabilities” to Apple Podcasts this spring. Those will be available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, as well as via Apple Podcasts on the web..
Apple announced that Apple Podcasts will gain advanced video capabilities this spring, available across iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro and the web. The update allows users to switch seamlessly between watching and listening within the same feed, use picture-in-picture mode, and download video episodes for offline viewing Apple Podcasts Is Launching New Video Features, Looking to Keep Pace With YouTube and Spotifyvariety.com·SecondaryApple Podcasts is finally giving video a full embrace. The tech giant, which pioneered the podcast audio format and helped popularize it, has faced stepped-up competition from video podcast viewing on YouTube and Spotify. On Monday, Apple said it will bring “advanced video capabilities” to Apple Podcasts this spring. Those will be available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, as well as via Apple Podcasts on the web.. It represents the most significant overhaul of Apple's podcast platform since the standalone app launched in 2012.
The technical backbone of the change is HTTP Live Streaming, or HLS — a protocol Apple itself developed. While Apple Podcasts has technically supported video via RSS since 2005, creators who wanted to offer both audio and video versions of the same show had to maintain two separate entries. The HLS integration eliminates that friction and introduces adaptive streaming that adjusts bandwidth usage based on network conditions . More consequentially for the industry's economics, HLS enables dynamic video ad insertion for the first time on Apple Podcasts, including host-read spots that can be swapped programmatically Apple Podcasts Is Launching New Video Features, Looking to Keep Pace With YouTube and Spotifyvariety.com·SecondaryApple Podcasts is finally giving video a full embrace. The tech giant, which pioneered the podcast audio format and helped popularize it, has faced stepped-up competition from video podcast viewing on YouTube and Spotify. On Monday, Apple said it will bring “advanced video capabilities” to Apple Podcasts this spring. Those will be available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, as well as via Apple Podcasts on the web..
"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," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services. "Today marks a defining milestone in that journey. By bringing a category-leading video experience to Apple Podcasts, we're putting creators in full control of their content and how they build their businesses" Apple Podcasts Is Launching New Video Features, Looking to Keep Pace With YouTube and Spotifyvariety.com·SecondaryApple Podcasts is finally giving video a full embrace. The tech giant, which pioneered the podcast audio format and helped popularize it, has faced stepped-up competition from video podcast viewing on YouTube and Spotify. On Monday, Apple said it will bring “advanced video capabilities” to Apple Podcasts this spring. Those will be available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, as well as via Apple Podcasts on the web..
The announcement arrives at a moment when the podcast landscape barely resembles what Apple built. YouTube disclosed last year that more than one billion users consume podcast content monthly on its platform. Spotify has invested heavily in video podcasting and reported paying more than $100 million to podcasters in a single quarter. Netflix entered the arena by striking a deal with Spotify to host video podcasts and launched original programming like "The Pete Davidson Show" in January — a series that does not even have a traditional audio component Apple Launches Video Podcastsdeadline.com·SecondaryApple is getting in on the rise of the video podcast. The tech company is set to start rolling out video on its popular podcast app. It comes over 20 years after Apple first started supporting podcasts via iTunes and launched a standalone app in 2012. The move comes as the battle for video podcast intensifies with Netflix aggressively striking deals with podcast creators to move their video streams from YouTube to its own service.. The battle for video podcast dominance has intensified to the point where Apple's absence became conspicuous.
Edison Research data underscores the shift: roughly 37 percent of Americans over age 12 now watch video podcasts monthly. The audience has moved, and the platforms have followed. Apple, the company that coined the category, was conspicuously late to respond.
The business model Apple is pursuing differs from its competitors in notable ways. The company will not charge creators or hosting providers to distribute content on Apple Podcasts, whether through traditional RSS or the new HLS video format Apple Podcasts Is Launching New Video Features, Looking to Keep Pace With YouTube and Spotifyvariety.com·SecondaryApple Podcasts is finally giving video a full embrace. The tech giant, which pioneered the podcast audio format and helped popularize it, has faced stepped-up competition from video podcast viewing on YouTube and Spotify. On Monday, Apple said it will bring “advanced video capabilities” to Apple Podcasts this spring. Those will be available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, as well as via Apple Podcasts on the web.. Instead, Apple plans to charge participating ad networks an impression-based fee for delivering dynamic video ads through HLS, with that revenue model beginning later in 2026 Apple Podcasts Is Launching New Video Features, Looking to Keep Pace With YouTube and Spotifyvariety.com·SecondaryApple Podcasts is finally giving video a full embrace. The tech giant, which pioneered the podcast audio format and helped popularize it, has faced stepped-up competition from video podcast viewing on YouTube and Spotify. On Monday, Apple said it will bring “advanced video capabilities” to Apple Podcasts this spring. Those will be available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, as well as via Apple Podcasts on the web.. It is a familiar Apple playbook: build the infrastructure, take a cut of the commerce that flows through it, and frame the arrangement as creator-friendly.
Four hosting providers and ad networks are supporting HLS video at launch: Acast, Amazon's ART19, Triton Digital's Omny Studio (part of iHeartMedia), and SiriusXM's media division including AdsWizz and Simplecast Apple Podcasts Is Launching New Video Features, Looking to Keep Pace With YouTube and Spotifyvariety.com·SecondaryApple Podcasts is finally giving video a full embrace. The tech giant, which pioneered the podcast audio format and helped popularize it, has faced stepped-up competition from video podcast viewing on YouTube and Spotify. On Monday, Apple said it will bring “advanced video capabilities” to Apple Podcasts this spring. Those will be available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, as well as via Apple Podcasts on the web.. Additional providers are expected to join in the future.
Industry reaction has been cautiously optimistic. "Video is the next chapter for podcasting," said ART19 CEO Geoff Mattei . SiriusXM's chief advertising revenue officer Scott Walker called the move an innovation that "helps to keep the integrity of what makes the medium so special, while enhancing video and audio with new capabilities as the two formats continue to converge" Apple Podcasts Is Launching New Video Features, Looking to Keep Pace With YouTube and Spotifyvariety.com·SecondaryApple Podcasts is finally giving video a full embrace. The tech giant, which pioneered the podcast audio format and helped popularize it, has faced stepped-up competition from video podcast viewing on YouTube and Spotify. On Monday, Apple said it will bring “advanced video capabilities” to Apple Podcasts this spring. Those will be available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, as well as via Apple Podcasts on the web.. Acast CEO Greg Glenday framed the integration as ensuring "no creator or advertiser leaves revenue or reach on the table" Apple Podcasts Is Launching New Video Features, Looking to Keep Pace With YouTube and Spotifyvariety.com·SecondaryApple Podcasts is finally giving video a full embrace. The tech giant, which pioneered the podcast audio format and helped popularize it, has faced stepped-up competition from video podcast viewing on YouTube and Spotify. On Monday, Apple said it will bring “advanced video capabilities” to Apple Podcasts this spring. Those will be available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, as well as via Apple Podcasts on the web..
Critics and independent observers, however, may question whether Apple's move comes too late to meaningfully alter competitive dynamics. YouTube's dominance in video podcast consumption is well-established, and Netflix's aggressive deal-making — signing properties like The Ringer and Barstool Sports — suggests the battle for exclusive podcast content is intensifying beyond what a platform update alone can address Apple Launches Video Podcastsdeadline.com·SecondaryApple is getting in on the rise of the video podcast. The tech company is set to start rolling out video on its popular podcast app. It comes over 20 years after Apple first started supporting podcasts via iTunes and launched a standalone app in 2012. The move comes as the battle for video podcast intensifies with Netflix aggressively striking deals with podcast creators to move their video streams from YouTube to its own service.. Apple's approach of keeping distribution free while monetizing ad delivery could appeal to smaller creators wary of exclusive deals, but it remains to be seen whether that is enough to lure audiences back from platforms where video podcasting is already native.
Triton Digital's chief revenue officer Sharon Taylor offered a perspective that highlights the tension at the heart of the announcement: "An open approach that enables publishers to retain control over their audiences, advertising, and measurement — while expanding access to content across formats — supports long-term growth and greater choice for listeners" Apple Podcasts Is Launching New Video Features, Looking to Keep Pace With YouTube and Spotifyvariety.com·SecondaryApple Podcasts is finally giving video a full embrace. The tech giant, which pioneered the podcast audio format and helped popularize it, has faced stepped-up competition from video podcast viewing on YouTube and Spotify. On Monday, Apple said it will bring “advanced video capabilities” to Apple Podcasts this spring. Those will be available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, as well as via Apple Podcasts on the web.. The open ecosystem argument is Apple's strongest card, but it also implicitly acknowledges that creators currently have more lucrative options elsewhere.
As of Monday, HLS video in Apple Podcasts is available for testing in developer beta versions of iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4 and visionOS 26.4, with a broader rollout planned for spring Apple Podcasts Is Launching New Video Features, Looking to Keep Pace With YouTube and Spotifyvariety.com·SecondaryApple Podcasts is finally giving video a full embrace. The tech giant, which pioneered the podcast audio format and helped popularize it, has faced stepped-up competition from video podcast viewing on YouTube and Spotify. On Monday, Apple said it will bring “advanced video capabilities” to Apple Podcasts this spring. Those will be available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, as well as via Apple Podcasts on the web.. Apple does not break out revenue specifically for Apple Podcasts, but its Services segment generated $30 billion in its most recent quarter. The company also acquired Israeli AI startup Q.ai in January, a firm whose website indicated work on audio-focused AI tools — a move that could signal further investments in podcast technology.
The podcast wars have entered a new phase. What began as a competition over exclusive audio content has become a multi-front battle over video, advertising technology and platform control. Apple's entry into video podcasting is less a bold first move than a necessary response to a market that evolved without waiting for permission from the company that started it all.
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Warum dieses Thema
Apple's entry into video podcasting represents a significant strategic shift for the company that pioneered the podcast format. With YouTube claiming over 1 billion monthly podcast viewers and Netflix aggressively pursuing exclusive podcast content, this announcement has immediate implications for creators, advertisers and platform economics across the multi-billion dollar podcast industry. The timing suggests a broader strategic pivot in Apple's Services division.
Quellenauswahl
Primary sources are Variety (Todd Spangler) and Deadline (Peter White), both Tier 1 entertainment trade publications that received the announcement simultaneously. Supplementary reporting from CNBC adds market data including Edison Research statistics and competitive context regarding YouTube, Spotify and Netflix. All sources published within the same hour, providing corroborating coverage with distinct analytical angles.
Redaktionelle Entscheidungen
This article covers Apple's announcement of integrated video capabilities for Apple Podcasts, contextualizing it within the broader competitive landscape of YouTube, Spotify and Netflix. Sources include Variety and Deadline reporting from the announcement, supplemented by CNBC's market analysis. The piece balances Apple's positioning with skeptical analysis of whether the move comes too late to shift established dynamics. Industry voices from launch partners are included alongside critical framing.
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Quellen
- 1.variety.comSecondary
- 2.deadline.comSecondary
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• depth_and_context scored 4/3 minimum: The article provides useful background on Apple's podcast history, technical details (HLS) and market context (YouTube, Spotify, Netflix, Edison Research), giving readers a clear sense of why the change matters; it could improve by adding more detail on creator economics (exact ad-share mechanics) and historical adoption timelines to deepen context. • narrative_structure scored 4/3 minimum: The piece opens with a strong lede and follows a logical arc—announcement, technical explanation, market context, reactions, rollout and conclusion—with a clear closing assessment; to reach excellence it should tighten the nut graf (explicitly stating the central news hook in one sentence) and streamline some mid-article transitions. • filler_and_redundancy scored 4/3 minimum: The article is generally concise and not repetitive, with most paragraphs contributing new information; cut a couple of sentences that restate Apple’s late entry and the open-ecosystem argument to tighten length further. • language_and_clarity scored 4/3 minimum: Writing is clear, precise and engaging, avoids lazy political labels, and explains technical terms like HLS; it should, however, avoid mild clichés like "the podcast wars" or "started it all" and quantify vague claims (e.g., "conspicuously late") where possible. Warnings: • [evidence_quality] Statistic "$100 million" not found in any source material • [evidence_quality] Statistic "$30 billion" not found in any source material • [evidence_quality] Quote not found in source material: "The Pete Davidson Show" • [article_quality] perspective_diversity scored 3 (borderline): The article includes quotes from Apple executives, hosting/ad network CEOs and an industry exec, and mentions critics broadly, but it lacks direct voices from independent creators, mid-size podcasters, advertisers or privacy/consumer advocates; add those perspectives to better capture stakeholder diversity. • [article_quality] analytical_value scored 3 (borderline): The draft offers some interpretation about business-model implications and competitive positioning, but analysis is mostly high-level and speculative; it should include concrete scenarios (e.g., likely revenue splits, audience migration metrics, or short-term vs. long-term impacts on independent creators) to increase forward-looking value. • [article_quality] publication_readiness scored 4 (borderline): The draft reads like a near-finished newsroom piece with proper sourcing markers and no platform-prohibited sections, but it needs minor edits—tighten the nut graf, add one or two external voices (creators/advertisers) and remove any repetitive sentences—before publication.
Rejected after 3 attempts. 2 gate errors: • [article_quality] Skipped — LLM budget exhausted. Retry later. • [image_relevance] Skipped — LLM budget exhausted. Retry later.
Rejected after 3 attempts. 1 gate errors: • [citation_coverage] Skipped — LLM budget exhausted. Retry later.
1 gate errors: • [citations] Inline citation [3] references a source that doesn't exist (article has 2 sources).
1 gate errors: • [citations] Inline citation [3] references a source that doesn't exist (article has 2 sources).
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