Earlier this week, Apple Podcasts announced that it would be adding video functionality for shows hosted on its platform.
That strategy mimics that of Spotify and YouTube. It also comes after Netflix has spent millions — perhaps hundreds of millions — to acquire the rights to programs that will air exclusively on its platform.
Make no mistake about it, the move is a monumental one of the podcast industry. Apple Podcasts is one of the largest platforms for users. For many, it is the original introduction to listening to podcasts.
But, is adding video functionality too little, too late for Apple Podcasts? We asked podcast experts for their opinions on the topic.
“They have a lot of catching up to do so it’s not a given this works, but Spotify has had a series of problems fluidly monetizing video and audio, and YouTube is primarily video,” said Amplifi Media CEO Steven Goldstein. “Apple could be a better publisher experience. But so many people no longer use Apple for podcasts.”
“We called this in mid-December and said we are in a new era of Liquid Content, meaning the ‘What’s a podcast?’ era had come to a close,” Goldstein continued. “However, there has been, and continues to be tons of audio-only listening and that’s not likely to go away – taking a walk, in the car, etc. That doesn’t go away. Some of the top shows today, like The Daily from The New York Times is audio-only. For content creators, there are lots of decisions to be made affecting costs and consumption.”
Coleman Insights Vice President of Research Insights Jay Nachlis said the move provides just as many questions as it does answers.
“As I would imagine most don’t know, Apple introduced RSS video in 2005. They had an audio/video toggle before it was cool, but got rid of it,” Nachlis said. “They never stopped supporting video via RSS; they just effectively stopped highlighting it.
“Their newly announced HLS tech sounds encouraging, but to your point, this is a much bigger challenge than making a technical shift. The focus they put on technical capabilities now needs to be matched by an equal focus on perception and positioning, because that’s ultimately how this move will be judged. Younger consumers aren’t growing up with an Apple Podcasts habit. Can they convince consumers who are already at YouTube for video and Spotify for audio to open the native Apple Podcasts app?”
Signal Hill Insights President/CEO Paul Riismandel point-blankly said it’s too early to tell if it’s too-little, too-late for Apple Podcasts.
“Apple is introducing a whole new mechanism for distributing video podcasts that is remarkably different from YouTube or Spotify, because the video files themselves are hosted and served from the podcaster’s hosting platform,” said Riismandel. “Because of this there are some advantages for podcasters with Apple’s approach. Chief among them is the ability to manage their video podcasts alongside their audio podcasts in the same platform. The second advantage is the ability to serve dynamic video ads using the same platform they use to serve dynamic audio ads. In principle, that simplifies things for the podcasters, their sales teams, and advertisers.
“Using a hosting platform that is independent from the playback platform is how audio podcasting has worked since the dawn of the medium. However, YouTube videos are only hosted and distributed by YouTube, and Spotify videos are only hosted and distributed Spotify, which represented a shift in that model,” he continued. “If Apple Podcast users change their habits to consume video there, then it probably isn’t ‘too little.’ We know that most podcast consumers actually use more than one app or platform for their podcasts. So this change might help Apple retain more users who otherwise might shift to over to YouTube or Spotify to watch video versions of their shows.”
Riismandel added that just over half of U.S. adults consume podcast monthly, which means that there is still plenty of growth for the medium, arguing against the idea that it’s “too late” for Apple to make a dent.
While opinions on whether or not it’s too little too late for Apple Podcasts were slightly mixed, those Barrett Media spoke with were largely in agreement that this is a big move for both the company and the podcast industry as a whole.
“This is seismic,” said Goldstein. “It’s a structural shift to podcasting. Apple has been losing share to Spotify and YouTube. Generationally, most newer podcast shows have a video component. To stay in the game, Apple needed to make the move. What’s really important is they didn’t just turn on video, for the first time they will be a toll taker and monetizing video podcasts.”
“This is a potentially good move for Apple on two fronts,” Nachlis added. “As our research has indicated, consumers increasingly value the option of alternating between audio and video podcasts, so Apple is meeting a moment that has bubbling for years. There are also potential creator and advertiser benefits relative to other platforms they are attempting to address.”
“The question is how much change this represents,” said Riismandel. “Consumer adoption will be the thing to watch. One important factor will be how much video podcast content is available when the new version of Apple Podcasts goes public. The second important factor is how attractive that video content is for Apple Podcasts users. Will this entice them to change their habits, to consume video on Apple’s platform?
“If we look to Spotify, we can see that user adoption of video was slow at first, but has been steadily growing. In part, that’s been helped along by Spotify actively promoting video in-app,” he concluded. “Also, this isn’t a change that yet affects all podcasters. Only four hosting platforms are supported by Apple: Simplecast, Omny Studio, Art19 and Acast. If a podcaster uses a different host, like Transistor, Blubrry or even Spotify for Creators, then they can’t yet serve video to Apple Podcasts using this new system.”
Apple did not give a firm timetable on when the new functionality would be available in the Podcasts app, only stating that it would be launched later this spring.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
