Spotify today announced plans to adopt Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology for video podcasts, a move that will allow creators to distribute video shows across both platforms without changing their existing setup.
Apple introduced an enhanced HLS-based video podcast experience for iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro, and the web in late March. The upgrade significantly improves the way video shows are delivered and consumed in Apple Podcasts, but support for Mac and Apple TV is not yet available.
Spotify says its Spotify for Creators and Megaphone platforms will support Apple’s HLS video technology later this year, describing the move as “a major step toward truly platform-agnostic video distribution.” The company says it is “actively working on this integration in coordination with Apple” and will share timeline details soon.
This will allow creators hosted on Spotify to distribute their video podcast content across platforms, reaching audiences on Spotify and Apple Podcasts without changing their existing setup.
Monetization will continue alongside distribution. Spotify says it plans to support “monetization of video content on Apple Podcasts so creators don’t have to choose between audience and revenue,” with more details on how this will work across all platforms to follow.
The company noted that video shows must be uploaded directly to Spotify rather than distributed via RSS, which the company says is necessary to enable engagement-based monetization, real-time analytics and other Spotify-exclusive features. RSS distribution to other platforms, including Apple Podcasts, remains unchanged.
Separately, Spotify also announced that several podcast hosting providers now offer video support through the Spotify Distribution API. Libsyn, Podigee, Audioboom, Audiomeans, and Podspace have all completed integration, allowing creators on these platforms to distribute video content directly to Spotify and monetize eligible content through the Spotify Partner Program. Additional partner integrations are reportedly underway.