Apple Just Moved the Center of Gravity in Podcasting

Even though I co-authored the first State of Video Podcasting study in 2024 with Coleman Insights and the signals were already visible, I would have lost the Polymarket yes/no bet two years ago on whether video would reshape the podcast business this quickly. Yet here we are.

Last week, Apple made its move, introducing native video inside Apple Podcasts and accelerating a transformation that was already underway everywhere else.

This has been a long time coming. By adding full video capabilities, Apple reacted to shifts already evident at YouTube and Spotify. Today, roughly 60% of podcast consumption sits on those two platforms, with Apple’s share declining over the past several years.

Generationally, Apple Podcasts was in the hole.

With Apple’s move, for the first time every major distribution platform now treats video as core to podcasting.

That matters.

It confirms what we have been describing as podcasting’s liquid content era — a period in which a show is no longer defined by format. A podcast moves between audio and video depending on where the audience encounters it and how they prefer to consume it. The container is fluid. The brand is constant.

This shift matters for another reason: Apple is now participating directly in video podcast monetization. Beyond taking a share of subscription revenue, this marks the first time Apple is directly participating in podcast monetization at scale. Revenue from dynamic ads will now be shared between creators and Apple. For a company that helped build the modern podcast ecosystem but largely stayed out of advertising economics, this is not a minor adjustment.

YouTube has long operated on a revenue-share model. Creators upload content, YouTube runs ads, and qualified channels get paid. Spotify’s system is more layered, with audio and video versions sometimes carrying different ads and workflows. Apple’s entry may eventually allow for more unified ad execution between audio and video formats, though the devil is always in the details. 

Audio Was Built on Intention

The economic shift is only part of the video story. The deeper change is behavioral.

Podcasting grew as an intentional medium. A listener searched for a show, subscribed, and pressed play on purpose. Audio fit naturally into daily life — commuting, walking, workouts, cooking. It could be consumed alongside other activity. As James Cridland has said, it is “something for your ears while your eyes are busy.”

Because of that intentionality, good audio content generally delivered long listening engagement and strong completion rates.

Today, consumption is rarely confined to one behavior. The same show may be listened to in full, watched on a television screen, or first discovered as a short-form clip on social media. The path to engagement is more complicated.

Video Operates Differently

Moving from audio to video introduces a fundamental tradeoff: reach in exchange for duration.  This is a big, big difference. 

By traditional audio standards, video engagement can look alarmingly small. Completion rates are lower. The drop-off curves are steeper. For podcasters accustomed to high audio retention, that can feel unsettling and be mistaken for underperformance. 

But platform behavior is not the same as content failure.

On YouTube, content is recommended algorithmically based on past viewing behavior. Viewers scroll, sample, and decide within seconds whether to continue. That early decision heavily influences whether a video is shown more widely to more people. Distribution is earned in real time.

Our friends at Bumper Media, who analyze minute-by-minute performance data across shows and platforms, frequently point out how steep early drop-offs for video can be. This is not unique to podcasting. It is part of YouTube’s DNA. Anyone publishing video would be wise to study their own retention graphs with that reality in mind.

As Apple integrates video more fully into its platform, understanding these behavioral mechanics becomes more important.  A show with great audio metrics may look comparatively poor in video analytics.

But, there are things you can do to improve performance.

Your Show Opening Carries More Weight

We have long advised podcast clients to minimize opening chatter and reach real substance quickly. In video, that guidance becomes even more essential.

The first few seconds determine everything. Viewers must immediately understand the promise and the payoff. What will I gain if I stay?

This does not require exaggerated editing or frenetic pacing. It requires clarity and value right from the start. Some creators now open with a compelling clip or highlight before transitioning into their formal introduction.

Revenue and Complexity Expand Together

Apple’s move brings opportunity alongside complication.

As I mentioned, a big move for Apple is monetization of video ads. This opens the door to evolving video ad marketplaces. On a per-impression basis, programmatic video often commands far lower rates than premium host-read audio. That’s something all audio-first podcasters are grappling with. I was in a meeting recently with some top podcast and agency execs and learned that the podcast audio buyer is generally not in the same department as the video buyer. That means a buyer who loves your audio podcast might have no influence over buying time for the video version. That is potentially a significant complexifier.

Strategic Clarity Matters More Than Ever

In spite of the complexities, what the Apple moves screams is the debate about whether video belongs in podcasting is over.

We are in the liquid content era. Shows move across apps, feeds, and screens. Audio offers intimacy and sustained attention. Video offers discovery and reach. Each rewards different behavior. Each plays a distinct role.

Recent data from Triton Digital reinforces that more podcasts are still listened to than watched.  Bravo!  That says a great deal. But behavior is fluid, and the balance continues to evolve.

In some ways, video and audio are more similar than different. Hits are hard everywhere. In audio, roughly 400,000 podcasts have published in the past 90 days, yet a very small percentage account for the majority of listening. On YouTube, more than 500 hours of video are uploaded every minute, creating an ocean of active content competing for attention — and again, a tiny percentage of channels command the bulk of watch time. The top 1% disproportionately captures the audience on both platforms. Discovery mechanics differ. Time spent behaves differently. But the underlying math is consistent: attention concentrates quickly, and mediocre content is being crushed everywhere.

The rules are evolving. The fundamentals are not.

Here are a few good tips for this new environment: Find your audience. Service your audience. Measure your audience. Follow your audience.

And as we traverse this new era, keep in mind a large and important fundamental difference:

Audio is chosen.

Video is recommended.