by Dan Moren
Apple updates video support for Podcasts
In the Apple Podcasts app, users will be able to switch seamlessly between watching and listening to shows, making the experience of discovering and viewing video podcasts as simple and enjoyable as listening to audio podcasts has always been. Users can watch video from within the app and move to horizontal full display, as well as download videos to watch offline. And automatic quality adjustment powered by HLS technology ensures smooth playback across network conditions, delivering the best possible experience whether listeners are on Wi-Fi or a cellular connection.
YouTube has become the most popular platform for podcasts period, and Spotify has been aggressive in integrating video content, so it’s hard not to see this as an attempt to make Apple’s platform more attractive for shows that broadcast in video. At the same time, the audio experience on the go for YouTube often leaves something to be desired, so this feels like Apple trying to thread that needle.
As with audio podcasts, Apple won’t charge creators for distributing video podcasts; however, the company is also enabling dynamically inserted video ads, and ad networks that participate in that will be charged a fee.
Interesting, you know what Apple doesn’t have? A podcast creation app in its brand new creative suite. Hmmm.
(Update: Apple Podcasts has supported video podcasts distributed the traditional way — a downloadable file — since pretty much the beginning. This change offers streaming video via HLS and lets users toggle between audio and video. Apple is relying on podcasters to pay for a video hosting service compatible with Apple’s platform. -J.S.)