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 the iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro, and the web at the end of March. The upgrade significantly improves how video shows are delivered and consumed within Apple Podcasts, but Mac and Apple TV support 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 in the near future.
This will enable Spotify-hosted creators to distribute their video podcast content across platforms, reaching audiences on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts without changing their existing setup.
Monetization will carry over alongside distribution. Spotify says it plans to support "monetization for video content on Apple Podcasts so creators don't have to choose between audience reach and revenue," with further details on how that will work across 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-first features. RSS distribution to other platforms, including Apple Podcasts, remains unchanged.
Separately, Spotify also announced that several podcast hosting providers are now live with video support through the Spotify Distribution API. Libsyn, Podigee, Audioboom, Audiomeans, and Podspace have all completed integration, allowing creators on those platforms to distribute video content directly to Spotify and monetize eligible content through the Spotify Partner Program. Additional partner integrations are said to be in progress.