Spotify to Adopt Apple's Video Podcast Technology for Cross-Platform Publishing

SPOT announced on May 14 that it will adopt Apple's HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology for video podcasts, enabling creators to publish video episodes to both Spotify and Apple Podcasts without changing their existing workflow. Spotify's Spotify for Creators and Megaphone hosting platforms will support the new standard, with a specific rollout timeline to be shared "in the near future." The move follows Apple's introduction of an enhanced HLS-based video podcast experience for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro in late March 2026 — a format that Spotify is now effectively endorsing as a cross-platform standard.

The market context makes this notable: as of November 2025, nearly 500,000 shows and over 390 million users had streamed a video podcast on Spotify — a medium that has grown sharply as creators migrate from YouTube to audio-first platforms. Simultaneously, Spotify opened its Distribution API to Audioboom, Audiomeans, Podigee, Podspace, and Libsyn, further consolidating its position as the back-end infrastructure for podcast distribution at scale. Monetization follows distribution — a creator's revenue streams carry over as they adopt the new video standard, strengthening retention in Spotify's creator ecosystem.

The strategic implication is a rare moment of SPOT and AAPL moving toward interoperability rather than fragmentation in a market where both compete fiercely. For Spotify, standardizing on Apple's video format reduces creator friction and could accelerate the shift from audio-only to video podcasting on the platform. For Apple, broader adoption of HLS as the podcast industry standard reinforces its role as a technical infrastructure setter even as Spotify dominates the consumer listening experience.

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