Why Apple’s Video Podcast Push Feels Like the End of an Era

Over the years, there has been no shortage of articles and think pieces proclaiming “podcasting is dead,” yet we persist. According to Edison Research, podcasting is more popular now than ever before. But this moment, on the eve of Apple finally pushing video into its Podcasts app, feels like an existential shift.

I have listened to podcasts for over twenty years, and to this day my default is to listen. After accumulating what must be thousands of hours listening to some of my favorite hosts, it feels like hearing a friend. They have no idea who I am, until maybe recently, but I certainly know them. 

When new shows seemed to launch as “video first” podcasts, like Good Hang with Amy Poehler, I would watch (or more accurately, leave it playing in the background) but even that felt like a different experience than the many shows I exclusively listened to. I could still enjoy them, but I wasn’t as invested. I have yet to experience the same parasocial connection I do with shows I’ve heard for years. 

The great irony here is that I’ve literally made a career of creating videos. I love making and watching video content, whether that’s YouTube or Reels, but it has always felt different than making and listening to podcasts.

When I hosted the AppleInsider podcast, my first big break of which I am forever grateful, we experimented with video a few times but ultimately stuck to audio-only. When I launched Primary Technology with Jason Aten, I knew I wanted to do video from the start. Not to be a “video-first” show (more on that in a moment), but to increase our chances of being discovered.

That was the wisdom shared at all the Podcast Movement conferences, Podfest, and others: Add video to your podcast to grow your audience. I still believe it helps and have personally discovered podcasts because of a Reel or Short that I would have never heard of otherwise.

But I always thought of the video version and the audio version, as two different mediums. As we record Primary Technology, I’ll share my screen to provide some visuals for those watching. Sometimes Jason and I will even show something on screen, which I’ll use as the chapter artwork for the RSS version. But in my mind, I’m still recording an audio first podcast.

That’s also reflected in the editing. I’ll strip silences and remove any glaring errors, but the video version is very much “live to tape.” On the audio side, I edit granularly, apply more audio processing to get the best sound possible, and take the time to add individual chapter artwork throughout every episode. 

On one hand, I enjoy doing it and want to make the audio version the best experience I can. Plus, the numbers reflect that priority as well: We have more listeners via RSS than viewers on YouTube and Spotify. But, the video numbers have been closing that gap recently.

Now we come to Apple Podcasts. Previously, hosting a video show via RSS was complicated and not worth the hassle. There was no question: Audio version goes to Apple Podcasts and third party apps, video goes to YouTube and Spotify. 

Side note: After uploading audio-only to Spotify for some time, it was clear adding video tripled our views to listens. Likely because Spotify pushes video shows.

This clean delineation is over now. Coming in iOS 26.4 Apple is going full throttle on “video” podcasts. Shows that adopt the new HLS video will likely get featured more often in the Home and Search tabs. And there will even be a special TV icon on episodes that include video. But there is a cost for creators adopting this feature.  

Our podcast host for Primary Technology, transistor.fm (which is the best), was recently announced to be one of the few hosts supporting HLS video in Apple Podcasts. After learning the details, here are the concessions if we adopt HLS video:

• No chapters, yet. May come at a later date

• No chapter artwork for those only listening

• No separate audio edit for listeners

  • Turning video “off” will continue playing the audio “track” from the video. It will not play the MP3 file enclosed in the RSS feed for anyone on iOS 26.4 or later.

• Creators will continue having to upload to YouTube and Spotify separately

• Third party apps (Overcast and Pocket Casts) will still get the MP3 file separate from the video.

  • But the motivation to edit that audio separately falls dramatically unless a majority of your audience uses third party apps.

And the final concession would be this: While I record my own podcasts, I’ll need to think of the video experience first, not the audio. 

Our listeners have been split on this topic. Some really enjoy watching the show, and would love to watch in Apple Podcasts to avoid YouTube ads. Or just keep all their shows in one place. Audio-only listeners are asking we continue as we are, and enjoy things like chapter artwork.

To be honest, I’m incredibly torn. I love podcasting, and every time a new standard or feature has launched, especially from Apple, I’ve adopted it immediately. We offered Apple Podcasts subscriptions at AppleInsider on day one. I used Delegated Delivery through transistor.fm from day one. I embedded transcripts in the RSS feed, used custom episode artwork, chapter artwork, timed links, and more. All with zero hesitation.

But to adopt HLS video in Apple Podcasts feels like a turn away from the kind of podcasting I’ve loved for 20+ years. Of course people will still listen, whether it’s during a commute, going for a walk, or doing the laundry. But the switch from audio-first to video-first feels like podcasting as a word, as a medium, may be changing forever.

It’s possible the writing has been on the wall for years. When Apple launched subscriptions, I requested the AppleInsider podcast to be featured. While our channel was featured in the app at one point, it was recommended we rethink the word “podcast” in the title. Their preference was to use the word “show,” which you can also see throughout their documentation. 

There is also the question of RSS podcasting going away completely. As a creator, if I upload my video to YouTube, Spotify, and transistor.fm for HLS video distribution, who uses the RSS feed then? Only third-party apps, which are only used by a very small percentage of listeners. If most shows, especially the larger shows, all move to video-first, and audio is just the HLS video’s audio track, RSS could be made obsolete.

I’m still not sure what to do for Primary Technology. Maybe we’ll experiment with one episode using HLS video and watch the feedback. I’ve been told you can do a one-off episode with HLS video, and then go back to audio-only the next episode and there won’t be an issue. Thankfully, we don’t have to make this decision on Mac Power Users as Apple is only working with certain podcast hosts for HLS video.

I do wonder how those growing up with podcasts today will approach the medium. My own teenage son watches more podcasts than listens (on Spotify), and I think he’s even developed an affinity for certain hosts like I have. 

The shows I enjoy the most are still audio-only, no video or YouTube channel at all. If they were to add video, would the experience of listening be worsened? It’s hard to know. But I’ve tried listening to several episodes of video first shows, and it’s clear that the listener is often forgotten in favor of the viewer.

But, maybe the listener will always be there. I know I will. I’ve listened for twenty years, and hope to listen for twenty more.