Spotify adopts HLS for video podcasts on Apple Podcasts
Spotify announced it will integrate Apple's HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) technology to support video podcasts. This change will allow creators hosting on Spotify for Creators or Megaphone to distribute and monetize video shows on Apple Podcasts without altering their current setup, starting later this year.
Key Takeaways
- Spotify will support Apple’s HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) technology for video podcasts.
- The change applies to creators hosted on Spotify for Creators or Megaphone.
- Video shows can be distributed and monetized on Apple Podcasts.
- Spotify says creators will not need to change their existing setup.
- The rollout is scheduled to start later this year.
Why It Matters
This gives creators using Spotify for Creators or Megaphone a direct path to Apple Podcasts for video, without a setup change. It also ties Spotify’s creator hosting stack to Apple’s HLS standard, which is the technical requirement named in the post. For the broader ecosystem, the key detail is that distribution and monetization are being linked across Spotify and Apple Podcasts through a specific streaming format. What to watch next: the actual launch timing later this year and whether Spotify names any additional platforms beyond Spotify for Creators, Megaphone, and Apple Podcasts.
Additional Context
The integration follows a period of massive growth for video on Spotify. Per TechCrunch in November 2025, the platform reached a milestone of 500,000 video podcast shows, with nearly 400 million users having streamed video content on the app. This represents a 54% year-over-year increase in video listeners, a surge Spotify attributes to its revamped Partner Program and deeper creator tools. In Q3 2025, the company reported that time spent with video content on its platform more than doubled year-over-year, largely driven by these conversational video formats. While Spotify is strengthening its distribution capabilities, it faces stiff competition from YouTube, which remains the primary destination for video-first podcast consumers. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence in April 2026, 62% of podcast listeners watch video shows on YouTube, compared to 23% on Spotify and 11% on Apple. By aligning with Apple’s HLS standard, Spotify is positioning its hosting platforms, Megaphone and Spotify for Creators, as the preferred backend for creators who want to manage multi-platform video delivery without manual re-uploads. Furthermore, Apple has been steadily modernizing its own video infrastructure. Per 9to5Mac in May 2026, Apple introduced an HLS-based video experience across its Podcasts app on iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro earlier in the year to improve playback reliability and support dynamic ad insertion. The partnership allows Spotify to use this native Apple framework for its hosted creators. This shift toward a shared technical standard is rare for the two rivals, highlighting the maturity of the video podcast sector as creators demand better monetization and reach beyond any single ecosystem.
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