Apple’s New Video Podcast Deep Dive | James Cridland #651
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1917" src="https://newmediashow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/New-Media-Show-Episode-APPLE-VIDEO-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://newmediashow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/New-Media-Show-Episode-APPLE-VIDEO-300x300.jpg 300w, https://newmediashow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/New-Media-Show-Episode-APPLE-VIDEO-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://newmediashow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/New-Media-Show-Episode-APPLE-VIDEO-150x150.jpg 150w, https://newmediashow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/New-Media-Show-Episode-APPLE-VIDEO-768x768.jpg 768w, https://newmediashow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/New-Media-Show-Episode-APPLE-VIDEO-1320x1320.jpg 1320w, https://newmediashow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/New-Media-Show-Episode-APPLE-VIDEO.jpg 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />On Weds, February 18th Live Episode #651 of the New Media Show, <strong>Rob Greenlee, Host, 2017 Podcast Hall of Famer and CEO of Trust Factor Lab <a href="https://RobGreenlee.com">at https://RobGreenlee.com</a></strong>, and <strong>James Cridland, Editor, <a href="https://Podnews.net">https://Podnews.net</a> and 2026 Podcast Hall of Famer</strong> 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. </span></p>
<blockquote><p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">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. </span></em></p></blockquote>
<p><strong>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. </strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>The conversation notes early launch partners (Acast, Art19, Omny Studio, Simplecast)</strong>, 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. </span></p>
<blockquote><p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">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. </span></em></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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).</span></p>
<p><strong>Chapter Topics:</strong><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">00:00 Welcome + Why Apple’s Video Podcast Update Matters</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">01:31 Apple Brings Video Front-and-Center (and Why Now)</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">06:00 The New Playback Experience: Full-Screen Video & One Feed</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">10:49 How Apple’s HLS Video Works (and Why It’s Better)</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">11:36 The Money Shift: Dynamic Video Ads & Apple’s Per-Impression Fee</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">17:59 Rollout Timeline, Unknown Specs, and Early Partner Shows</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">23:54 Partners, Two Ingestion Paths, and the RSS vs HLS Debate</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">34:47 Hands-On Demo: Video Icons, Turn Video Off, and MP4 vs HLS</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">39:47 Bandwidth, Scrubbing, and What HLS Enables for Measurement</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">44:16 Quality/Resolution Questions + Missing Apple TV (for Now)</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">46:26 CarPlay & Vision Pro: Where Apple Podcasts Video Actually Plays</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">47:09 Will HLS Replace MP3 for Audio? Monetization, Costs, and Reality Check</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">49:51 Apple vs Spotify: Open Hosting, Dynamic Ads, and Why This Helps Creators</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">52:30 Audio Isn’t ‘Video Without Pictures’: Why Separate Edits Matter</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">55:21 Will It Work With Spotify for Creators? Partners, Megaphone, and Pressure</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">01:00:02 How HLS Interstitials Work: Client-Side Ad Breaks and Spec Unknowns</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">01:07:48 Keeping RSS Relevant: Alternate Enclosures, Comments, Payments, and New Tags</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">01:13:48 Local Podcasting & Specialized Apps: Location Tag, TuneIn, and the Future</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">01:20:20 Wrap-Up: Conferences, Cold Weather, and Final Goodbyes</span></p>
<p><b>What you will learn in this episode</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">– How Apple’s HLS video differs from RSS MP4 enclosures in real-world creator workflows </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">– 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</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (Podnews) – </span><a href="https://podnews.net/article/video-apple-podcasts-details"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://podnews.net/article/video-apple-podcasts-details</span></a></p>
<p><strong>– How Apple Podcasts Connect API keys work, and what they do and do not grant to hosting providers </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">– </span><a href="https://podcasters.apple.com/support/5593-how-to-publish-video"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://podcasters.apple.com/support/5593-how-to-publish-video</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>– How creators should decide between RSS video, Apple HLS video, and other platform video strategies in 2026 –</strong> <a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/879749/apple-podcasts-video-swap-hls-live-streaming">https://www.theverge.com/tech/879749/apple-podcasts-video-swap-hls-live-streaming</a></span></p>
<p><strong>Links for show notes</strong></p>
<p><strong>Watch live or On Demand</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><a href="https://newmediashow.com/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://newmediashow.com</span></a></p>
<p><strong>Apple announcement</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/02/apple-introduces-a-new-video-podcast-experience-on-apple-podcasts/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/02/apple-introduces-a-new-video-podcast-experience-on-apple-podcasts/</span></a></p>
<p><strong>Apple creator documentation</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><a href="https://podcasters.apple.com/video-apple-podcasts"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://podcasters.apple.com/video-apple-podcasts</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><a href="https://podcasters.apple.com/support/5593-how-to-publish-video"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://podcasters.apple.com/support/5593-how-to-publish-video</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><a href="https://podcasters.apple.com/support/3684-video-podcasts"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://podcasters.apple.com/support/3684-video-podcasts</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p>
<p><strong>Podnews analysis</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><a href="https://podnews.net/article/video-apple-podcasts-details"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://podnews.net/article/video-apple-podcasts-details</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><a href="https://podnews.net/update/apple-podcasts-hero"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://podnews.net/update/apple-podcasts-hero</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Guest James Cridland, Editor</strong>, <a href="https://podnews.net">https://Podnews.net</a></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><a href="https://james.cridland.net/biography/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://james.cridland.net/biography/</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p>
<p><strong>Host Rob Greenlee, 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame Inductee</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><a href="https://robgreenlee.com/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://robgreenlee.com</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span></a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span></a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@RobGreenlee"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.youtube.com/@RobGreenlee</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span></a><a href="https://x.com/robgreenlee"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://x.com/robgreenlee</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span></a><a href="https://podcasthall.com/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://PodcastHall.com</span></a></p><p>The post <a href="https://newmediashow.com/apples-new-video-podcast-deep-dive-james-cridland-651/">Apple’s New Video Podcast Deep Dive | James Cridland #651</a> first appeared on <a href="https://newmediashow.com">New Media Show</a>.</p>
