Apple Podcasts Goes All-In on Video to Take On YouTube and Spotify

Apple Brings Full Video to Podcasts

Apple has unveiled a sweeping update to Apple Podcasts, introducing full video capabilities powered by its HTTP Live Streaming technology. The move marks the company's most significant push into video podcasting and puts it in direct competition with YouTube and Spotify, both of which have seen massive growth in video podcast consumption.

The update, currently available in beta versions of iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4, allows listeners to seamlessly switch between watching and listening to podcast episodes within the same feed. Users can also download video episodes for offline viewing, use picture-in-picture mode, and benefit from automatic quality adjustments based on network conditions. A full rollout is expected this spring across iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro, and the web.

New Revenue Streams for Creators

For the first time, Apple Podcasts will support dynamic video ad insertion, including host-read spots, opening up the broader video advertising market to podcast creators. Apple has confirmed it will not charge hosting providers or creators to distribute content on the platform. However, the company will introduce an impression-based fee for participating ad networks delivering dynamic ads in HLS video later in 2026.

Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services, called the announcement a defining milestone, noting that Apple helped take podcasting mainstream twenty years ago when it added podcasts to iTunes.

Industry Heavyweights on Board

Acast, ART19 (an Amazon company), Triton's Omny Studio, and SiriusXM are among the launch partners supporting HLS video from day one, with additional providers expected to follow.

A Rapidly Growing Market

The timing is strategic. According to Deloitte, global ad revenues for podcasts and vodcasts are projected to reach roughly five billion dollars in 2026, marking nearly twenty percent year-over-year growth. YouTube has surpassed one billion monthly podcast viewers, while Spotify reports over three hundred and ninety million users have streamed video podcasts, a fifty-four percent increase year over year. About thirty-seven percent of people over age twelve now watch video podcasts monthly, according to Edison Research.