Apple’s New Video Podcast Deep Dive | James Cridland #651

On Weds, February 18th Live Episode #651 of the New Media Show, Rob Greenlee, Host, 2017 Podcast Hall of Famer and CEO of Trust Factor Lab at https://RobGreenlee.com, and James Cridland, Editor, https://Podnews.net and 2026 Podcast Hall of Famer discuss Apple’s announcement of a new and improved video podcast experience in the Apple Podcasts app and what it changes technically and strategically heading into 2026. 

They explain how video was previously active in Apple Podcasts but was hidden and poorly presented in the iOS apps, and how this new updated experience makes video playback front and center, with a “turn video off” option that keeps the audio track playing. 

The episode breaks down Apple’s preferred move to HLS-based on-demand video delivery (via a separate, proprietary API HLS video streaming pass-through submission from approved hosting partners) while still supporting legacy MP4 video via RSS. 

They cover HLS basics (chunked delivery, adaptive quality, reduced bandwidth, and hosting costs), improved seeking/scrubbing versus progressive MP4 playback, and new measurement implications (better insight into drop-off and ad viewing). A major focus is monetization: Apple plans to enable dynamic ad insertion for HLS video and charge a per-impression fee, positioning Apple to take revenue without operating an ad business. 

The conversation notes early launch partners (Acast, Art19, Omny Studio, Simplecast), questions about specs and rollout timing (an app update is likely by the end of March; dynamic ad features later in the year), and the risk of platform fragmentation as distribution shifts from open RSS to proprietary APIs. 

James and Rob discuss alternate enclosures (Podcasting 2.0) as an open path to wider app support, reference iHeart’s stated support for video via RSS alternate enclosures, and highlight creator concerns about losing separate audio edits when video replaces the audio feed during playback. 

They also touch on device support (not initially on Apple TV; CarPlay doesn’t show video; Vision Pro support) and briefly discuss future RSS innovation ideas like comments, payments, transcripts, and location tags, plus a short note on upcoming podcast events (Podcast Show London, Podcast Movement New York, Podcast Movement at SXSW).

Chapter Topics:
00:00 Welcome + Why Apple’s Video Podcast Update Matters
01:31 Apple Brings Video Front-and-Center (and Why Now)
06:00 The New Playback Experience: Full-Screen Video & One Feed
10:49 How Apple’s HLS Video Works (and Why It’s Better)
11:36 The Money Shift: Dynamic Video Ads & Apple’s Per-Impression Fee
17:59 Rollout Timeline, Unknown Specs, and Early Partner Shows
23:54 Partners, Two Ingestion Paths, and the RSS vs HLS Debate
34:47 Hands-On Demo: Video Icons, Turn Video Off, and MP4 vs HLS
39:47 Bandwidth, Scrubbing, and What HLS Enables for Measurement
44:16 Quality/Resolution Questions + Missing Apple TV (for Now)
46:26 CarPlay & Vision Pro: Where Apple Podcasts Video Actually Plays
47:09 Will HLS Replace MP3 for Audio? Monetization, Costs, and Reality Check
49:51 Apple vs Spotify: Open Hosting, Dynamic Ads, and Why This Helps Creators
52:30 Audio Isn’t ‘Video Without Pictures’: Why Separate Edits Matter
55:21 Will It Work With Spotify for Creators? Partners, Megaphone, and Pressure
01:00:02 How HLS Interstitials Work: Client-Side Ad Breaks and Spec Unknowns
01:07:48 Keeping RSS Relevant: Alternate Enclosures, Comments, Payments, and New Tags
01:13:48 Local Podcasting & Specialized Apps: Location Tag, TuneIn, and the Future
01:20:20 Wrap-Up: Conferences, Cold Weather, and Final Goodbyes

What you will learn in this episode
– How Apple’s HLS video differs from RSS MP4 enclosures in real-world creator workflows 

– Why HLS segment-based delivery enables adaptive streaming and modern video ad insertion – What Apple’s limited launch partner list means for hosting competition and creator choice

 (Podnews) – https://podnews.net/article/video-apple-podcasts-details

– How Apple Podcasts Connect API keys work, and what they do and do not grant to hosting providers – https://podcasters.apple.com/support/5593-how-to-publish-video
– How creators should decide between RSS video, Apple HLS video, and other platform video strategies in 2026 – https://www.theverge.com/tech/879749/apple-podcasts-video-swap-hls-live-streaming

Links for show notes

Watch live or On Demand
https://newmediashow.com

Apple announcement
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/02/apple-introduces-a-new-video-podcast-experience-on-apple-podcasts/

Apple creator documentation
https://podcasters.apple.com/video-apple-podcasts 
https://podcasters.apple.com/support/5593-how-to-publish-video
https://podcasters.apple.com/support/3684-video-podcasts 

Podnews analysis
https://podnews.net/article/video-apple-podcasts-details 
https://podnews.net/update/apple-podcasts-hero 

Guest James Cridland, Editor, https://Podnews.net
https://james.cridland.net/biography/ 

Host Rob Greenlee, 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame Inductee
https://robgreenlee.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee
https://www.youtube.com/@RobGreenlee
https://x.com/robgreenlee
https://PodcastHall.com

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